Federal Court Rules that Gender Dysphoria is a Disability Protected the ADA

On August 16, 2022, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Williams v. Kincaid that transgender people who experience gender dysphoria are protected from discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Gender dysphoria is a “discomfort or distress that is caused by a discrepancy between a person’s gender identity and that person’s sex assigned at birth.”  Without treatment, gender dysphoria can lead to depression or anxiety, both of which are “physical or mental impairments that substantially limit a major life activity,” which is the definition of a “disability” under the ADA.

This is the first time a federal court has ruled to affirm transgender rights in this manner.  The result will be binding law for all of the states in the Fourth Circuit, which include Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.

You can read the 2-1 decision in Williams v. Kincaid here.