Lawsuit asks state to pay for inmate's sex-change operation- What do you think?

[Martina]

There is no reason to juxtapose the needs of inmates to those of homeless people. We should be helping both populations. The issue behind this is that inmates should not have to fear rape in prison. If that weren't the case, if the government were doing their jobs, the person would not need surgery at the expense of the state. But the fact is that it is dangerous for trans folks to be in prison. And isolating them is blaming the victim. i vote for whatever keeps people the safest.

i also think it's not a bad precedent to set, the state paying for surgery. In fact, all such surgeries ought to be paid for by insurance or public insurance, if necessary. No one should go without any kind of health care because they can't afford it.

The argument that people can't get it free outside of prison is accepting a reality that is really unacceptable. Everyone who needs srs should get it.

[tantalizingfemme]

[QUOTE=Martina;324805] The issue behind this is that inmates should not have to fear rape in prison. [QUOTE]


So, the answer is sex change surgery??? What about those who aren't trans? No resolution for them? It's okay for them to get raped? Maybe the answer is to find a solution for ALL inmates... not one particular population.

[Delish]

I say no! As far as the hormones, I am even ify on that. Heres why....My brother is in prison and recently diagnosed with Lupus and in kidney failure. UNLESS he was to HAVE to be admitted into the hospital they can NOT be given pain meds which I completely understand but also having the disease as well, I think its quite in humane!
Just my $.02

[moxie]

I think a potential issue with this could be that if it is approved for the DOC to pay for the surgery, that it could send a message to people that "Hey, if I commit this crime and I am incarcerated in the state penal system (not the city/county jail) that I could get this surgery". Therefore, for some people who feel very hopeless and see as this as their only option to get the surgery, will commit crimes for this sole purpose. This might not seem logical to you (as a whole), and even preposterous, but very plausible.

Look at the recidivism rates in the US. More than 60% re-offend within 3 years (most within the first 6-12 months) of release, many of those people re-offend because of the limited options available to them upon release due to laws and regulations that vary from state-to-state. Healthcare is one of those limited options. (If you are interested in this type of reading, I recommend When Prisoners Come Home:Parole and Prisoner Reentry by Joan Petersilia)

In an ideal world, everyone would be able to get the healthcare they need and deserve, so this wouldn't be an issue and the lawsuit would be moot. But that is not how the US is in regards to healthcare currently.

[Ebon]

If you don't want to do the time don't do the crime. What did she expect to happen in PRISON! Hell no she shouldn't get surgery. I work my ass off everyday, I don't kill people and nobody is paying for shit except for me. If you don't want to get raped in prison don't kill people.

[AtLast]

[quote=tantalizingfemme;324809][QUOTE=Martina;324805] The issue behind this is that inmates should not have to fear rape in prison.

So, the answer is sex change surgery??? What about those who aren't trans? No resolution for them? It's okay for them to get raped? Maybe the answer is to find a solution for ALL inmates... not one particular population.

You are right on!

I agree- the premise (and I have thought this all along) in the article is faulty- does not hold water. There are many other things that can be done to prevent sexual assaults in prisons. These things have to do with how the facility is run and measures taken.

People that work in correctional institutions have expertise about this. Funds going to renovating prisons and utilizing the newer types of control mechanisms to keep both prisoners and staff safer are important. I don't know if we have any members that work in corrections, but it would be great to have info on the modern ways they are built and staffed in order to cut down (and even fully prevent) these assaults. Most of them happen because of outdated facilities it appears from what I have read. Actually, during one of my late night insomnia episodes I watched a program about how these things can be prevented by prison upgrades and building new prisons differently. Overcrowding is a problem as well.

Any inmate of any gender can be raped in prison. No one should have to fear rape, yet prison certainly isn't the only place it happens. Hell, a 16 year old HS girl was gang raped at a Prom in Richmond, CA.

[Luckydwg07]

Originally Posted by Martina

There is no reason to juxtapose the needs of inmates to those of homeless people. We should be helping both populations. The issue behind this is that inmates should not have to fear rape in prison. If that weren't the case, if the government were doing their jobs, the person would not need surgery at the expense of the state. But the fact is that it is dangerous for trans folks to be in prison. And isolating them is blaming the victim. i vote for whatever keeps people the safest.

i also think it's not a bad precedent to set, the state paying for surgery. In fact, all such surgeries ought to be paid for by insurance or public insurance, if necessary. No one should go without any kind of health care because they can't afford it.

The argument that people can't get it free outside of prison is accepting a reality that is really unacceptable. Everyone who needs srs should get it.

Actually one can juxtapose immate needs with needs of the homeless.(alot of homeless are that way by no fault of thier own) the money is from the same pie. I just would rather see a law abiding citizen be up one more rung on the social ladder thats all.
Rape isn't just in jails- it plaugues us all

[Jess]

I saw this today and remembered this thread. While this inmates reason doesn't seem to be rape, it still brings up the question of state funding for gender reassignment/ corrective surgery.
It seems ( from this very brief article) that the prison system is trying to work with her, regarding pronoun usage and attire, however, I doubt that funding for her surgery is going to come from any Virginia budget.

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Wednesday June 08, 2011


Inmate Ophelia De’lonta filed a federal lawsuit requesting the state provide her the medical care necessary to complete her sex change. While in the all-male Buckingham Correctional Center, De’lonta has been self mutilating in an attempt to remove her male genitalia.

According to the Associated Press, if she wins, she will be the first inmate to receive a state-funded sex change operations. Similar lawsuits in other states have not passed and lawmakers are working to ban taxpayer money to fund these operations.

“The notion that taxpayers are going to fund a sex change is just ridiculous,” Del. Todd Gilbert said in the article – he will seek legislation if De’lonta wins the lawsuit.

If she loses, De’lonta says she will continue trying to remove her parts and acknowledges that it could kill her, but she says she wants to be at piece.

The prison has made special allowances for feminine clothing and therapy.

More from the Associate Press:

The hormones and other treatments had kept her urges in check for years. She snapped Oct. 8 when an officer used a male pronoun toward her, despite a court order that prison workers refer to her as a woman.

“I screamed ‘She, damnit!’ becoming so overwhelmed it was hard to breathe,” De’lonta said.

Looking down, she felt repulsed and helpless. She cried herself to sleep, then hours later she prepared for her surgery attempt by covering her cell door’s window with paper and putting towels around the commode.

Copied from: www.gayrva.com

[EnderD_503]

Originally Posted by Martina

There is no reason to juxtapose the needs of inmates to those of homeless people. We should be helping both populations. The issue behind this is that inmates should not have to fear rape in prison. If that weren't the case, if the government were doing their jobs, the person would not need surgery at the expense of the state. But the fact is that it is dangerous for trans folks to be in prison. And isolating them is blaming the victim. i vote for whatever keeps people the safest.

i also think it's not a bad precedent to set, the state paying for surgery. In fact, all such surgeries ought to be paid for by insurance or public insurance, if necessary. No one should go without any kind of health care because they can't afford it.

The argument that people can't get it free outside of prison is accepting a reality that is really unacceptable. Everyone who needs srs should get it.

Completely late on this one, but it's something I was struggling with, but then hearing from trans people I know who were incarcerated up here I guess I just think there's a lot of things to be considered when you're talking about inmates and what is "deserved" or not. I agree largely with this post, though. I think that if you live in a province/state/nation where the government does not offer to pay for SRS under any circumstances, then the priority should not be barring one part of the trans population (in this case, prison inmates) from getting SRS just because the majority don't have access to it. I think it is about setting a precedent. If prison inmates are the first ones to get government-funded SRS, and that eventually leads to the rest of the trans community getting government-funded SRS, I don't see a problem. I don't see SRS as a cosmetic surgery or a luxury, but a surgery that is often necessary as far as the mental health of the trans person involved, no matter who they are and what they've done. Unfortunately, most governments haven't recognised that yet. I don't really believe in "because I can't have it, you can't have it" kind of deal. I don't think that solves much. Both populations need it, the way I see it.

[SecretAgentMa'am]

I think the state should pay for surgery for trans inmates. I fully agree that it sucks that so many people aren't able to get surgery because they can't afford it. That's why I'm doing everything I can to fight for *real* national healthcare in the US. I don't think the solution to the fact that shit sucks for some people is to make sure it sucks for everyone. Inmates are still human beings and should not have medical care withheld as punishment for their crimes.