A transgender inmate was accused by the Department of Justice (DOJ) of cutting off his own testicles because of discriminatory treatment by the Utah Department of Corrections (UDOC) by repeatedly refusing to give him cross-sex hormones and other accommodations.
When it was determined that the UDOC had broken the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide the unidentified prisoner’s requested “hormone therapy,” the DOJ suggested prisons are on the hook for providing hormones and sex-change procedures for trans-identifying prisoners.
The state corrections department even “failed to make sensible modifications to its policies and practices to address the complainant’s gender dysphoria” by neglecting to improve pat-down procedures, provide requested housing accommodations, or allow him to purchase women’s underwear and makeup, according to the investigation.
The female prisoner had requested to be placed with ladies either alone or together, but it was apparently denied. The criminal received the cross-sex hormone he requested after 15 weeks of arguing with corrections officials, but the investigation revealed that sufficient steps were never taken to ensure their safe administration.
The DOJ, which described gender dysphoria as “a serious health condition marked by scientifically significant problems caused by an incongruence” between one’s natural sex and gender identity, claimed that the criminal was forced to self-castrate after the UDOC refused to support his calls for more than two decades.
“All people with disabilities, including those who are incarcerated, are protected by the ADA, and they are also entitled to reasonable adjustments and equal access to medical care,” according to Kristen Clarke, who is the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division’s assistant attorney general.
The Civil Rights Division is “committed to making sure that people with disabilities, including those with gender dysphoria, are not subject to discrimination in jails and prisons across the country,” she continued.
The DOJ claimed to have provided the UDOC with thorough remedial advice to address its alleged discrimination against transgender people, including mandatory training for all Utah correctional officers.
A dollar amount has not yet been determined, but the UDOC will also have to pay the inmate.
According to The Associated Press, UDOC Executive Director Brian Redd refuted the DOJ’s claims of discrimination and expressed disapproval of the investigation’s nature.
In a statement on Tuesday, Redd stated that “we have been working to address this complex issue and were blindsided by today’s public announcement from the Department of Justice.” “We have also taken steps to meet the needs of inmates while upholding the highest safety standards on our own and as a state.”
A 2022 federal court ruling in accordance with the DOJ’s statement of interest in January stated that gender dysphoria qualifies as a disability and that correctional facilities that fail to provide “gender-affirming care” are violating the Eighth Amendment.
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