After spending years in court fighting to block the operations, prison officials are giving in to demands to set the standards for which so-called “transgender” inmates can receive taxpayer-funded sex-reassignment surgery – at an estimated the cost near $100,000 per inmate.
In a policy that took effect Tuesday and was reviewed by The Associated Press, prison mental health professionals in California would refer the inmates for the surgery. To qualify for the surgery, inmates must be diagnosed with what is formally called gender dysphoria; have expressed a desire for sex-reassignment surgery for at least two years; and have lived as a member of the preferred gender for at least 12 months.
The guidelines are believed to be the first in the nation by a prison system, said Joyce Hayhoe, a spokeswoman for the federal court-appointed official who controls California’s prison medical care.
The standards are similar to those used by medical providers outside the prison system, she said. But these procedures are tax-payer funded.
The eight-page document calls for inmates who request the surgery and meet the basic criteria to be referred for evaluation to a committee of two medical doctors, two psychiatrists and two psychologists, which would make a recommendation to another higher-level committee of medical professionals.
There are currently 375 males and 26 females in the prison system already receiving hormone therapy that gives them the characteristics of the opposite sex. After the inmates are given their free gender reassignment surgery, they are placed in special housing or in mental health facilities.
One of the new guidelines is that the inmate must have at least two years left in prison.
That became a factor in the case of Michelle-Lael Norsworthy, who was released from prison one day before a federal appeals court was to hear her request in August for the state prison system to pay for her sex reassignment surgery.
But the same month, the corrections department announced it would pay for the surgery for Shiloh Heavenly Quine, whose mugshot is featured in this article. Shiloh is serving a life sentence for a Los Angeles County murder, and has not yet had the surgery.
A federal judge in Sacramento is considering the third case, that of inmate Mia Rosati, after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in June that the state may be violating her rights by denying her sex reassignment surgery. She also is serving a life sentence for murder from Los Angeles County.
The Associated Press contributed to this article
bullshit!
If a male gets a sex change, does he/she get moved into the female facility? or does he/she get to be Bubba’s girlfriend in the male facility?
Why can’t they all wait until they’re released from prison to get it at THEIR expense?
Only in California would a state considering wasting taxpayer money on something so unnecessary. When a person goes to prison they lose several things such as freedom of movement and the right to vote. They should also lose the ability to expect someone else to pay for a sex change operation.
Perhaps the prison system should provide counselors which can help the prisoners work through their mental issues. The people I know who have started down the sex change road have deeper issues than what will be corrected by surgery.
Sorry but Massachusetts also considers this ridiculous request by degenerate criminals. I also believe Michael Robinson is the first lady! This crap starts at the top! Unbelievable but true.
Let some do-gooder group send care packages with wigs, slinky dresses & jangly earrings–much cheaper than the per-changling 6-digit imposition on America’s tormented taxpayers.
up their nose with an ice pick until they die. Lifers should be executed IN prison. There should be no such THING as “life in prison without the possibility of parole”. If they are not fit to EVER be back in society, they are not fit to live PERIOD.
That’s been going on since 2004 look up The town of Phelan, California sex offender house and you’ll see Todd’s Spitzrrs name from orange county take a peek. They attempted to put registered sex offender’s child predators in a group home under the department of deveopental disabilities as a trial to see how the public Would react . . We let them know and after a two-year battle and event where one of the workers was raped by of one of the clients they finally closed up shop . and moved out . And this house was in a suburban community with numerous children within eyeshot state of California should never have done what they did, borderline insanity
HOW ABOUT REMOVING ALL OF THEIR SEX ORGANS, THEN THEY REALLY WOULD BE LOST AND NO KNOW WHO THEY ARE!
I say give them the tools and let them do it themselves.
If the screw up? Oh Well.
U have got to be kidding! What BS! They are in prison – they have killed someone – why should we pay for them and our own medical bills too. Don’t we already pay enough?
NO! We as tax payers just barely feed our children and keep a roof over our heads but we are to pay for sex change operations while we feed and put roofs over their heads as criminals.
The only change they should be allowed, is to be turned into a lump of coal, or a POS…….I’m sure the taxpayers wouldn’t mind footing the bill for either.
I could never really grasp why taxpayers have to food the bill for prisoners in the first place? In many countries the prisoners work for the benefits they have in prison like food, heat, air conditioning, water, etc. They should have to do all the crappy jobs that are beneath all the law abiding citizens. Heaven knows there’s enough of them in there to support the caretaking needs of an entire prison. Television, education, conjugal visits, medical care, those are all considered luxuries that you would have to pay for. Why is it always the middle class that gets hit the hardest with all kinds of burdens that other undeserving people create? The system is so flawed. The criminals these days are treated with so much more consideration than decent folks going through hard times. When someone is incarcerated they shouldn’t have any rights, nor any rights to make any demands. You did the crime, you do the time under these conditions. If jail wasn’t so comfortable for most, maybe it would be deterrant for some. Sorry, but with very few exceptins, I have no sympathy for criminals and their needs.
Nonsense! Since when do I care if a person is happy with their sex? These sick demented prisoners need to wake up and realize that the people do not care if they are breathing, let alone their sexual preference. Hell no! I am not paying for a prisoner that is sound physical health but just wants us hardworking people to foot the bill for their sex change. It is enough that we have to pay for these strange strangers time in prison because they are too lazy to be independent. There is no “rhyme of reason” to this. Only, our System could see it as sound–what a joke. People are not going to pay for this ridiculous tax. The people NEED to vote on this issue.
Well Cali- get ready for an influx of crime so they can get their surgury’s for free… If God don’t hurry up….. Oh yea it’s already as bad as Sodem and Gommorah …..
Good luck !
More Money than sense. If this person is given the right to have the public pay for his indulgence then where will it end!!? What happens after other inmates have drained the bank dry with their insane desires. Will they say too bad no more money no more operations?? NO they will say their rights are violated and sue for compensation, More Money (Lawyers). This is a personal PRIVATE desire to have a sex change. It is not life threatening, he will not die unless he commits suicide and that is not against the law. This has nothing to do with his incarceration and will start a precedent. What happens a year on when he changes his mind and say the authorities are at fault because he was mentally unstable at the time and did not know what he was doing and should have been stopped?
This is prison and prisoners are there to serve a sentence. If this is allowed, then let the surgery be performed by an inmate Doctor and let those who allow this farce to happen should pay for it themselves or take up a collection .Let’s see if others like him will part with their money!!.
One more thing I forgot to mention. If this is allowed because he is residing in jail, doe’s this mean it can happen to a Landlord owner of an apartment block? or even an employer because they are working as staff? This madness will go on and on and on. So beware, put this clause in your Agreement policies.