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

[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.