Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has successfully blocked a federal rule from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that required healthcare providers and insurance programs, including Medicaid, Medicare, and state health exchanges, to cover gender transition procedures. The ruling, issued by Judge Guirola of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, found that HHS exceeded its authority by interpreting Title IX’s prohibition on sex discrimination to include gender identity. According to the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office, the court ruled that Title IX applies specifically to biological sex.
The overturned rule would have affected Oklahoma’s healthcare laws, which prohibit minors from receiving puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries related to gender transition. Drummond and 14 other state attorneys general filed the lawsuit in May 2024, arguing that the federal rule infringed on state authority.
According to the Oklahoma Attorney General’s newsroom, the decision supports the state’s position that healthcare regulations should remain under state control. The case reflects ongoing legal disputes over how gender identity is recognized and regulated in healthcare across the United States.
