Woman Who Won Deduction for Sex Change Says Ruling Speaks to Her Community

A woman who won a ruling allowing a deduction for her sex-change operation says the U.S. Tax Court “has spoken for my community.”

Rhiannon O'Donnabhain spoke to the Associated Press about her reaction to the ruling by the court on Tuesday. The fractured court held that gender identity disorder is a “disease” and her surgery qualified as a treatment under the tax laws, TaxProf Blog reported.

''The tax court has spoken for my community and has supported my community by saying that this is a proper medical deduction, much the same as an appendectomy or open heart surgery,'' O'Donnabhain told AP. ''It was a proper medical deduction, and it certainly is not cosmetic surgery as the IRS contended.”

O'Donnabhain had sought to deduct $5,000 for about $25,000 in expenses associated with the surgery. Before having the operation at the age of 57, she had been a father, husband, Coast Guardsman and construction worker.