DOJ claims Utah drove trans inmate to cut off own testicles by refusing 'hormone therapy'
The Department of Justice (DOJ) claimed a trans-identifying inmate cut off his own testicles because the Utah Department of Corrections (UDOC) discriminated against him by repeatedly refusing to give him cross-sex hormones and other accommodations.
The DOJ suggested prisons are on the hook for providing hormones and sex-change procedures for trans-identifying inmates when it determined the UDOC violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by failing to provide the unidentified prisoner's requested "hormone therapy," according to a Tuesday press release.
The state corrections department also "failed to make reasonable modifications to its policies and practices to treat the complainant’s gender dysphoria" by neglecting to modify pat-down procedures, provide requested housing accommodations or allow him to purchase women's underwear and makeup, according to the investigation.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The male inmate had requested to be housed either individually or with women, which was reportedly denied. After 15 months of wrangling with corrections officials, the inmate received the cross-sex hormones he asked for, but the investigation determined that adequate steps were not taken to ensure their safe administration.
The DOJ, which defined gender dysphoria as "a serious medical condition marked by clinically significant distress caused by an incongruence" between one's biological sex and gender identity, claimed that the inmate was driven to self-castrate after his gender dysphoria worsened "as a result" of the UDOC refusing to accommodate his requests over two years.
"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," said Kristen Clarke, who serves as assistant attorney general of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division.
"The Civil Rights Division is committed to ensuring that jails and prisons throughout the country do not discriminate against people with disabilities, and that right includes people with gender dysphoria," she added.
The DOJ said it provided the UDOC with detailed remedial measures necessary to address its alleged discrimination against transgender individuals, which includes mandatory anti-discrimination training for all correctional officers in Utah.
The UDOC will also have to pay damages to the inmate, though a dollar amount has yet to be determined.
UDOC Executive Director Brian Redd repudiated the DOJ's allegations of discrimination and took issue with the nature of the investigation, according to The Associated Press.
"We have been working to address this complex issue and were blindsided by today’s public announcement from the Department of Justice," Redd said in a statement on Tuesday. "We have also taken steps on our own and as a state to address the needs of inmates while maintaining the highest safety standards."
In January, the DOJ issued a statement of interest explaining that gender dysphoria qualifies as a disability under the ADA, and that correctional facilities failing to provide "gender-affirming care" are violating the Eighth Amendment, according to a 2022 federal court ruling.
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to [email protected]
