Washington state prisons are now required to provide gender-affirming care to trans inmates

Transgender Day of Visibility 2023 Naarm (Melbourne) rally.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

A Seattle judge has issued a consent decree requiring prisons in Washington state to provide improved gender-affirming services to trans inmates.

The settlement – the result of almost four years of negotiations – says that the State Department of Corrections (DOC) must hire a designated MD specializing in gender-affirming medical care. Additionally, the department is required to provide a gender-affirming mental health specialist at all major prisons, with access to telehealth for those at smaller ones. Those who enter prison with a prescription for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) must be able to continue, and trans folks who want to begin HRT in prison will generally have access.

Officers will also be required to undergo transgender-focused training, and inmates will be able to decide which gender officers will give them pat-downs. The DOC must also provide…

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