A transgender New Hampshire lady has filed a discrimination grievance in opposition to her Christian employer for denying her gender-transition well being protection.

Lillian Bernier, 31, has labored as a machinist since 2019 at Turbocam, a Barrington, N.H.-based firm that makes elements for the HVAC, automotive, aviation, and house exploration industries. She claims that the corporate’s refusal to supply gender-transition well being care protection quantities to discrimination in opposition to her based mostly on her intercourse, transgender standing, gender id, and incapacity.

Bernier seeks therapy for gender dysphoria, which is the misery and discomfort a transgender particular person feels with their beginning intercourse and when they’re “unable to reside in line with their gender id,” based on the grievance.

“She has wanted, and continues to want, hormone substitute remedy, counseling, and medically really helpful surgical procedures to deal with her gender dysphoria,” the grievance mentioned.

The grievance was filed Dec. 16 with the New Hampshire Human Rights Fee, in addition to the US Equal Employment Alternative Fee.

“Lillian is simply asking to be handled with the identical dignity, humanity, and equity as different workers of the corporate,” mentioned Bernier’s lawyer, Chris Erchull, of GLBTQ Authorized Advocates and Defenders in Boston.

“By sustaining a blanket exclusion of protection for any well being care associated to transgender transition, the corporate is offering Lillian and another transgender workers, presently or sooner or later, a lesser tier of advantages,” Erchull mentioned. “It sends a message that her healthcare wants should not reputable.”

The seven-page grievance alleges that Turbocam and Well being Plans Inc., a Westborough firm that administers Turbocam’s self-funded well being protection plan, is violating employment nondiscrimination provisions of the New Hampshire Human Rights Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Individuals with Disabilities Act.

Bernier, a mom to sons ages 11 and 12, joined the corporate in 2019 as a mill operator and was promoted to machine operator a yr later. She started transitioning in 2020. She has paid out of pocket for medical care and postpone vital therapy, based on the grievance.

“It’s irritating and overwhelming to not be handled equally and to not obtain the total advantages my coworkers do,” Bernier mentioned in an announcement. “I’m paying into the worker well being plan like everybody else, however I’ve to pay utterly out-of-pocket on high of that for my healthcare, which is a stress on me and my household. I take satisfaction in my job and work arduous, however regardless of how a lot further effort I put in, I’m not getting the total good thing about my work.”

Based on Turbocam’s mission assertion, the corporate “exists as a enterprise for the aim of honoring God, creating wealth for its workers, and supporting Christian service to God and folks.”

“Turbocam sees Lillian and all workers as created in God’s picture and is offering as a lot assist as attainable in line with its Mission, religion and the legislation,” mentioned Jordan Pratt, senior counsel at First Liberty Institute, a Christian authorized group representing Turbocam.

The family-owned enterprise started within the Nineteen Eighties, has areas in Europe and Asia, and employs greater than 900 engineers, machinists, technicians, and assist employees.

Pratt mentioned that Bernier and all different firm workers “have the choice of taking a considerable money bonus that they’ll use to decide on any medical health insurance or medical providers they want.”

“This could resolve the difficulty,” Pratt mentioned.

Bernier’s lawyer, Erchull, mentioned the so-called bonus Pratt referred to is inadequate to buy different protection.

“An organization like Turbocam doesn’t have a legally protected proper to supply lesser advantages to transgender workers merely due to the proprietor’s non secular perception,” Erchull mentioned.

Turbocam is “making an attempt to declare itself separate from the legislation with a view to deny equal therapy to certainly one of its workers simply because she is a transgender lady,” Erchull mentioned.

Well being Plans Inc. responded in an announcement: “Whereas we perceive and empathize with the problems raised by GLAD, this worker isn’t insured by Well being Plans Inc.” The corporate defined that it processes well being profit claims for employers, and that Turbocam has management over its well being plan design and advantages.

Based on Bernier’s grievance, the well being plan says no advantages shall be paid for “gender dysphoria therapy, together with however not restricted to, counseling, gender reassignment surgical procedure or hormone remedy, and associated preoperative and postoperative procedures, which, as their goal, change the particular person’s intercourse and any associated problems.”

The New Hampshire Human Rights Fee has the facility to obtain, examine, and make findings on complaints of unlawful discrimination and to carry public hearings. Relying on how the fee’s investigation proceeds, the matter is also filed as a lawsuit in state or federal courtroom.

Info from the Related Press was included on this report.