California’s Transgender Respect Law Survives Inmates’ Challenge

Cisgender female inmates in California saw their request for an injunction against implementation of the state’s Transgender Respect, Agency, and Dignity Act, which requires placement of transgender women in prisons consistent with their gender identity, dismissed by a federal court.

The ruling comes at time when California is already struggling with what kind of healthcare to provide transgender inmates during their transition and how best to protect them.

The plaintiffs said that requiring individuals they refer to as “men” to live in women’s prisons created a heightened risk of sexual violence against them and caused them to experience fear, anxiety, ...