Gay.com
A woman should be allowed to deduct her $25,000 gender-reassignment surgery on her federal taxes because her gender identity disorder was a medical condition, her lawyers argued Thursday.
The U.S. tax agency would not let Rhiannon O’Donnabhain take the deduction, claiming that her operation was cosmetic and not medically necessary.
O’Donnabhain is suing the Internal Revenue Service to get the deduction accepted in a potentially precedent-setting case that could affect thousands of people a year in the United States who undergo similar operations.
Both sides rested their cases Thursday before a tax court judge who will decide the case.
O’Donnabhain, 63, said her case is about more than just money.