MACON, Ga. — A Bibb County school employee is one of three people suing the state and its health plan for failing to pay for gender affirming medical costs.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta.
It identifies Benjamin Johnson as a media clerk for the Bibb County School District and a transgender man.
The lawsuit says Johnson grew up in Milledgeville and was teased for "looking like a boy."
Five years ago, a therapist diagnosed him with gender dysphoria.
Psychiatry.org defines gender dysphoria as psychological distress that results from a conflict between one’s sex assigned at birth and one’s gender identity.
Johnson's lawsuit says he's been taking doctor-prescribed testosterone treatment since 2017 and began presenting full-time as a man. He changed his name on his birth certificate and IDs.
Johnson sought breast-reduction surgery or top surgery, but the school district's health plan turned him down, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit names the school district, Superintendent Dan Sims and the State Benefits Health Plan as among the defendants.
It cites a recent federal court decision that ordered Houston County to pay $60,000 to Anna Lange.
Lange, a Houston County sheriff's investigator, sued the county and the sheriff's office because they refused to pay for her gender affirming medical costs.
To read the full suit, click here.
13WMAZ reached out to the Bibb school district; they have not responded.
