United States President Donald Trump has mandated that federal prisons transfer transgender women inmates to male facilities and cease medical treatments associated with gender transition.
This directive was part of a comprehensive executive order issued on his first day in office, aimed at restricting government acknowledgment of gender to an individual's sex assigned at birth.
The order also extends to immigration detainees and represents a significant aspect of the overall directive.
While Trump had previously imposed some limitations on housing and healthcare for transgender inmates, this new order is considerably broader in scope.
The Women’s Liberation Front, which advocates for the definition of women based on biological sex and supports single-sex prisons, hailed the directive as a significant achievement.
The organization is contesting a California law that permits inmates to request housing in accordance with their gender identity, claiming it infringes upon the constitutional rights of non-transgender female inmates, particularly their Eighth Amendment rights against cruel and unusual punishment.
Trump's order reinforced these claims, asserting that " it attempts to disregard biological sex fundamentally undermine women's dignity, safety, and well-being."
Conversely, advocates for transgender individuals and inmates condemned the order, warning that it would expose them to increased risks of violence.
Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, expressed concerns about potential assaults resulting from this policy, emphasizing the detrimental impact on prison officials who currently possess the discretion to ensure the safety and security of their facilities.
Legal experts have indicated that the order "may face significant challenges in the judicial system.'
Federal courts have determined that prison systems must safeguard at-risk inmates.
Also ,some rulings have established that these systems are obligated to provide medical treatments, including hormone therapy, for prisoners diagnosed with gender dysphoria, which refers to the discomfort stemming from a discrepancy between an individual's physical body and their gender identity.