DOJ Sues Utah for Alleged Discrimination Against Transgender Inmate

UDOC provided the inmate with hormone therapy 17 months after it was requested.

Women protest the possible transfer of convicted killer Dana Rivers—a biological male who identifies as female—to a women’s prison outside of the Alameda County Superior Courthouse in Oakland, Calif., on Dec. 5, 2022. Courtesy of Women's Declaration International, U.S.A.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Utah for allegedly discriminating against a transgender inmate who suffers from “gender dysphoria.”

The lawsuit lists the State of Utah, the Utah Dept. of Corrections (UDOC), and the Utah Dept. of Health and Human Services as defendants for failing to provide the complainant with treatment for gender dysphoria.

Even though UDOC provided hormone therapy to the inmate, the DOJ states it was based on a “biased and unnecessarily prolonged approval process.” UDOC provided the inmate with hormone therapy 17 months after it was requested. Aside from hormone therapy, the inmate, a biological male, wanted UDOC to modify its policies and practices to accommodate his new female gender identity.

The inmate wanted search policies to be modified and housing assessed. The DOJ stated the requested modifications were “reasonable.”

The DOJ said that failing to provide treatment to those with gender dysphoria could cause irreparable harm to the individual and its Civil Rights Division is committed to protecting the rights of all people, including those behind bars suffering from what they deem to be a disability.

The DOJ contacted UDOC last month before filing the lawsuit and gave the department a written notice of its findings and the remedial measures necessary to address them.

When contacted by The Epoch Times about the lawsuit, UDOC spokeswoman Karen Tapahe said, “Because it is pending litigation, we have no additional comment at this time.”

Ms. Tapahe referred to a previous statement issued by the UDOC regarding the matter.

“We have been working to address this complex issue, and were blindsided by today’s public announcement from the Department of Justice,” said Brian Redd, executive director of UDOC on March 12, referring to the DOJ’s written notice. “We have also taken steps on our own, and as a state, to address the needs of inmates while maintaining the highest safety standards. We fundamentally disagree with the DOJ on key issues, and are disappointed with their approach.”

Women’s Safety in Prisons

The Justice Department’s lawsuit comes a week after Reduxx published a story concerning a female inmate at Washington’s Women’s Correctional Center (WWCA) who claims she was sexually assaulted by a transgender sex offender.

That inmate, Christopher Williams, is a male who identifies as a woman. Mr. Williams was transferred in 2021 to the WWCA, and in April of 2022, the alleged sexual assault occurred.

The victim explained that Mr. Williams asked to be moved into her cell and shortly thereafter would make lewd comments. The inmate previously served at a male correctional facility and his criminal history included sex offenses and violent assault. The alleged victim filed a Prison Rape Elimination Act report and it was substantiated. Mr. Williams was subsequently moved out of the cell.

Another transgender individual, who was transferred to the same prison in 2021, allegedly sexually assaulted a developmentally disabled female inmate, according to Reduxx. Princess Zoe Andromeda Love, a biological male, had a criminal history including the rape of a 12-year-old girl.

The Vera Institute for Justice (VIJ), a left-leaning group funded by George Soros and the Biden administration, is advocating for more justice for transgender prisoners. In a recently released report, the VIJ interviewed 280 transgender inmates and found a majority of them want to be transferred.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents (65 percent) currently incarcerated in men’s facilities stated they would like to transfer to women’s facilities, and 78 percent said they prefer to live in a prison unit designated for transgender people.

The VIJ is funded largely by George Soros, the Ford Foundation, and even U.S. taxpayers. The VIJ has received millions of dollars in contracts from the Biden administration’s DOJ, according to InfluenceWatch. The organization received a portion of the $6.75 million in DOJ contracts awarded from 2022 to 2023. Since 2008, the VIJ has received over $811 million in funding from various federal agencies.