President Joe Biden’s Justice Department filed a lawsuit against the state of Utah over a male inmate who thinks he’s a woman and removed his own testicles while behind bars.
The complaint alleges violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for discriminating against a so-called “transgender” prisoner by failing to provide him with experimental “gender-affirming” care through the Utah Department of Corrections. The prisoner reportedly suffered from gender dysphoria (via the U.S. Department Justice Office of Public Affairs):
As a result, her gender dysphoria worsened during her incarceration at UDOC. Twenty-two months after entering custody, she performed dangerous self-surgery and removed her own testicles.
The department’s lawsuit is part of its broader efforts to combat discrimination against individuals with gender dysphoria.
“People with gender dysphoria, including those held in jails and prisons, are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act and are entitled to equal access to medical care just like anyone else with a disability,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, said in a statement.
“Delays or refusals to provide medical treatment for people with gender dysphoria can cause irreparable harm, including debilitating distress, depression, attempts at self-treatment and even death by suicide. The Civil Rights Division is committed to protecting the rights of all people with disabilities in our country, including those who experience gender dysphoria – and those rights are not given up at the jailhouse door,” Clarke added.
Earlier this year, Townhall reported how a federal investigation found that the UDOC imposed “unnecessary barriers” to block the transgender person from receiving “gender-affirming” care.
“All people with disabilities including those who are incarcerated are protected by the ADA and are entitled to reasonable modifications and equal access to medical care, and that basic right extends to those with gender dysphoria,” Clarke said at the time.