Department of Justice reverses support of trans Georgia prisoner

The U S Department of Justice has reversed its backing of an incarcerated trans Georgian in a lawsuit regarding state-funded gender-affirming surgery The DOJ withdrew its comment of interest in the anonymous -year-old Jane Doe s lawsuit against the Georgia Department of Corrections reversing the Biden administration s stance that prisoners are constitutionally entitled to gender-affirming care The DOJ then filed a declaration of interest in an unrelated but similar lawsuit arguing that trans inmates are not entitled to gender-affirming surgeries according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution The prior administration s arguments in transgender inmate cases were based on junk science Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon disclosed in a press release States limited materials need not be wasted to provide these dubious surgeries to inmates Doe s lawsuit filed in a Georgia federal court in December contends that she has been incarcerated in men s facilities since and argues that the ban on gender-affirming surgery violates the Eighth Amendment the Americans with Disabilities Act and the federal Rehabilitation Act In April a judge ordered the state to provide Doe body pads and hair removal cream while the scenario was litigated While the DOJ disputes evidence that gender-affirming care lowers risks for depression and suicidality advocates believe that gender-affirming care is one of several necessary services trans prisoners need According to a survey from the Vera Institute of Justice and Black and Pink National nearly percent of the incarcerated trans respondents had spent time in solitary confinement percent had been sexually assaulted and percent of those seeking gender-affirming medication were unable to access it This reversal of Biden-era recommendations and policies by the Trump administration is one of several federal moves impacting trans Georgians This month Children s Healthcare of Atlanta informed parents of trans patients that they would no longer be providing gender-affirming care following an executive order which has been temporarily blocked from enforcement blocking federal funding to hospitals providing trans care to minors The post Department of Justice reverses assistance of trans Georgia prisoner appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta