The trailblazing Guaranteed Income for Trans People (GIFT) initiative in San Francisco provides monthly financial aid for transgender with low income for Black and Hispanic residents.
Lawsuit Challenges San Francisco’s Financial Aid for Transgender, Alleging Unconstitutional Discrimination
In San Francisco Superior Court, conservative group Judicial Watch sued the GIFT program for violating California law by discriminating based on race, ethnicity, sex, and gender identity.
The lawsuit against the financial aid for transgender, filed by three taxpayers, claims the city’s GIFT program funding is unconstitutional and discriminatory. San Francisco officials are distributing free cash based on race and sex, which Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton claims violates the state’s constitution.
The Monday lawsuit seeks a permanent injunction to stop the financial aid for transgender and a court declaration that the program violates the state constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.
READ ALSO:Â Idaho Income Tax Return: File Early For Quicker Returns Starting Monday
Financial Aid for Transgender Sparks Controversy Over Race- and Sex-Based Criteria
Mayor London Breed launched the GIFT initiative in November 2022 to help 55 low-income San Franciscans. Participants receive $1,200 per month for 18 months via reloadable debit cards. Race- and sex-based qualifying criteria for the program prompted the legal challenge.
The GIFT website states that TGI Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC), homeless, disabled, youth or elders, monolingual Spanish speakers, and legally vulnerable individuals are prioritized for enrollment. The word “legally vulnerable” includes undocumented, survival sex trade, and incarcerated people.
This court battle against the financial aid for transgender and the city’s well-intentioned support for underprivileged communities and the legal risks of executing a race- and sex-based program.