In a rare move, Corey Briskin and Nicholas Maggipinto, a gay couple, have sued New York City as a group, saying that the city’s health insurance plan discriminates against them. The lawsuit, which was launched on Thursday, challenges the fact that in vitro fertilization (IVF) coverage is not available to male couples. This is a major turning point in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights.
Briskin and Maggipinto have been fighting for fair IVF benefits since 2014. They point out the huge difference in covering between straight, gay, lesbian, and single women and male couples. The couple carefully planned their path to having a child, which included IVF fertilization and surrogacy, with the hope that the former would be covered by insurance.
Unfortunately, Briskin and Maggipinto went to court when they found out that the city’s health plan did not cover IVF for gay guys. The couple took the city to court because, even though they filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2022, the policy was not changed.
The couple, who are represented by lawyers Peter Romer-Friedman and David Lopez, say that the city’s decision to not let gay men get IVF benefits breaks federal laws, such as Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and state human rights laws.
The lawsuit focuses on how unfair the city’s meaning of infertility is because it limits access to IVF based only on heterosexual criteria, not giving gay men the same treatment as straight men.
Briskin and Maggipinto are determined to fight widespread discrimination for more than just their own personal reasons. Their cause has gotten a lot of support. Ten members of the New York City Council have proposed a bill to expand IVF benefits, and federal judges have said that not covering same-sex couples is unfair.
As the court case goes on, the couple’s strength shows how hard people are fighting for LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive justice in general. Their fight for fair IVF coverage goes beyond financial worries; it’s also a way to change the system and uphold the idea that everyone should be treated the same.
