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Allen & Overy works with National Women’s Law Center on gender justice brief filing in support of transgender community

Working alongside the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), Allen & Overy’s U.S. litigation team filed an amicus brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit challenging Alabama’s policy of denying transgender people driver’s licenses with accurate gender markers unless they undergo surgery.

The brief argues that the state’s policy puts transgender people at heightened risk of discrimination and violence and violates protections against sex discrimination under the Constitution. Further detail on the filing can be found here.

“A&O vehemently opposes transphobia on both a legislative and individual basis, which is why we have taken this step to safeguard the rights of the transgender community from targeted discrimination,” said Andrew Rhys Davies, Partner. “While this decisive action we’ve taken alongside the NWLC cannot eliminate the discrimination this community faces daily, we are pleased to play a role in supporting the 32 organizations dedicated to advocacy and driving meaningful change for the transgender community.”

The following members of the A&O team contributed to the briefing: Andrew Rhys Davies, Changhee Han, Jack Butz from the New York office and John Roberti, Claire Rajan and Melinda Bothe from the Washington, D.C. office. 

Allen & Overy supports the transgender people of Alabama and urges the Eleventh Circuit to affirm the districts court’s ruling that the state’s policy is unconstitutional. The plaintiffs are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF).