A federal lawsuit that accused the South Dakota state health plan of discriminating against transgender employees was dismissed Monday night following the death of the plaintiff.

Terri Bruce had sued the South Dakota State Employee Health Plan in 2017, arguing that a provision in the plan banning medical services for gender transformations violated the U.S. Constitution and the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Bruce, who died last month, was a transgender man who worked for the South Dakota State Historical Society Archaeological Research Center.

A motion asking for the dismissal says that Bruce took his own life.

“Terri was a gifted archaeologist, a passionate activist, and a warm and caring friend,” the motion says. “He was also one of over 1.4 million American adults who identify as transgender. In moving to dismiss this suit, Terri’s family and counsel would like to raise awareness of the high rate of suicide among transgender individuals as well as the obstacles transgender citizens must constantly overcome to feel safe and respected within their communities.”

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The motion says that Bruce and other transgender individuals face discrimination at an early age that lasts throughout their lives. It cites a statistic from the National Center for Transgender Equality that says 41 percent of transgender people report having attempted suicide at some point in their lives, a rate 25 percent higher than the general population.

In 2016, Bruce helped lead opposition to a bill in the Legislature that would have required transgender K-12 students in the state to use the bathrooms of the gender they were assigned at birth. Though the bill ultimately passed the Legislature, it was vetoed by Gov. Dennis Daugaard.

Later that year, he was scheduled to receive a mastectomy to treat gender dysphoria, but the state health plan denied the procedure, even though it would have been available to other employees to treat other medically necessary conditions.

Jim Leach, a lawyer who represented Bruce, said in an email that he isn’t aware of another state employee who was in Bruce’s position.