For transgender prisoners, hormones seen as matter of life and death *triggers*

[Amelia Pond]

*TRIGGER WARNING*
For transgender prisoners, hormones seen as matter of life and death
Bill Briggs, NBC News Contributor, 8/23/13

Prior to 2010, federal inmates who entered that system taking sex-change hormones were allowed to maintain those doses, but U.S. corrections officials denied the start of new hormone regimens for existing prisoners. A lawsuit filed by Boston-based attorney Jennifer Levi on behalf of an inmate caused the prison bureau to reverse that stand and treat gender identity disorder even after its diagnosed in prison.

Yet the administering of hormones to transgender inmates remains inconsistent across state prisons: Some do it, some don't, said Levi, director of the Transgender Rights Project at Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD).

"The reality is, the underlying medical condition of gender dysphoria is highly stigmatized and widely misunderstood. So people with no expertise, including prison staff, often reject the seriousness of the underlying medical condition just because of bias and discrimination," Levi said.

Transgender groups consider denying hormones in cases like Manning's "cruel and unusual punishment" and argue that hormone treatment for gender identity disorder is standard medicine and should be allowed in military prisons as in federal prisons. Manning's request may be the first time this has come up for a military prisoner.

[musicofthenight]

The comments are really ugly.  Go carefully if you do, everyone.

(I think I'm going to find a pillow to hug.)

[LizMarie]

Yes, we are hated, especially by radical right wing religious zealots. It will take decades to change that, more than any of us now alive, even as children, likely have left.

But even while bias persists, we can fight for legal recognition and protection that ensures that while haters still hate, they cannot overtly discriminate against us in jobs, housing, etc.

The article's point that many prison staff belittle and do not understand GID is very true. Not many in the general population do either.

[Donna Elvira]

That was the most frightening commentary I have ever seen following a newspaper article, quite literally barbaric. I suppose it's a consequence of the 1st Amendment in the U.S. but in Europe, that sort of commentary would be considered an incitement to hatred and  moderated.
Worst of all though is just the fact that people can even think in such terms.

[MaidofOrleans]

The comments are really ugly.  Go carefully if you do, everyone.

(I think I'm going to find a pillow to hug.)

That's the Internet for you. All the closet racists and homophobes crawl out if their holes in the comments section of any article. Hell, I doubt any of them actually read them. Most people are too cowardly to act out their bigotry anywhere other than behind the safety of their anon keyboard.