Houston Co. appeals federal transgender discrimination ruling [Video]

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — The legal battle between Houston County and an investigator for the sheriff’s office could come back to court if the county gets its way.

Houston County is asking the full 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear a case involving transgender sheriff deputy Anna Lange. She sued the county for denying health care coverage for their gender reassignment surgery.

In May, a panel of federal judges ruled a provision in the county’s health insurance policy discriminated against transgender employees 

The county’s insurance policy explicitly denied coverage for “services and supplies for a sex change and/or reversal of a sex change” and “drugs for sex change surgery.” 

“By drawing a line between gender-affirming surgery and other operations, the plan intentionally carves out an exclusion based on one’s …