Trump Appoints Anti-Trans Lawyer, Journalist to Lead HHS Civil Rights Office

Roger Severino has a long history of marginalizing and erasing transgender people

March 24, 2017 - President Trump has appointed Roger Severino, an extremist right wing lawyer and journalist as Director of the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS/OCR).

Severino writes frequently for right-wing outlets like The Daily Signal and CNSNews.com, and was Director for the Devos Center Religion and Civil Society at the Heritage Foundation. His writings reject the authenticity of transgender people's identities, and dismiss transgender claims to civil rights.

Transgender Law Center demands that Severino recuse himself. "It is more than inappropriate – it is dangerous for someone with Mr. Severino's extreme views about transgender people to be put in charge of protecting their civil rights," said Kris Hayashi, TLC's executive director.  

Severino has repeatedly denounced and worked to oppose transgender equality. He opposed the Affordable Care Act's nondiscrimination provisions as a tool to "coerce everyone…into pledging allegiance to a radical new gender ideology" and said that removing the ban for open transgender military service "defies common sense."


Transgender Law Center is the largest national organization dedicated to advancing justice for transgender and gender nonconforming people through litigation, policy advocacy, and public education so that all people can live safely, authentically, and free from discrimination regardless of their gender identity or expression. www.transgenderlawcenter.org

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