Federal judge orders Trump admin to return trans inmates to women’s prison, restart their sex change treatments

US District Court Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington, DC, ruled that the two male transgender inmates, the plaintiffs in the case, must be "immediately" transferred back to women's facilities and be given hormone therapy treatments to continue their taxpayer-funded gender transitions, the AP reported.

The two transgender plaintiffs, identified in court filings by the pseudonyms Rachel and Ellen Doe, claimed in the complaint that they had been living in constant fear of sexual violence after being transferred to male prisons. They claimed male prison guards conducted strip searches without female officers present and male prisoners had allegedly propositioned them for sex, according to court documents.

"The fact that they have already been transferred and, allegedly, have been abused at their new facilities can only strengthen their claims of irreparable harm," Judge Lamberth wrote.

The preliminary injunction follows a series of rulings that have thwarted recent executive actions taken by President Trump. On January 20, the president signed an executive order titled "Defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government." This order prohibits men from occupying women's spaces, including prison facilities, and prohibits federal funding from being used for inmates' gender transition procedures.

"The Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security shall ensure that males are not detained in women's prisons or housed in women's detention centers, including through amendment," the order states under section 4.

Additionally, the order directs the Attorney General to "ensure that the Bureau of Prisons revises its policies concerning medical care to be consistent with this order, and shall ensure that no Federal funds are expended to any medical procedure, treatment, or drug for the purpose of confirming an inmate's appearance to that of the opposite sex." The judge in this case has directly opposed that by demanding that the two males not only be returned to women's prison but given medical sex change drugs.

"Agencies shall effectuate this policy by taking appropriate action to ensure that intimate spaces designated for women, girls, or females (or for men, boys, or males) are designated by sex and not identity," the section of the order concluded.

While Judge Lamberth ruled that the two trans-identifying male inmates were subjected to "irreparable harm" after being housed in men's prisons, a recent lawsuit filed by a former female inmate in the state of Washington claimed that she was sexually abused by a male prisoner who was transferred into her cell after he claimed to identify as a woman. That male prisoner, Christoper Williams, is a 6'4 convicted pedophile who has been serving a 28.5-year prison sentence for brutally beating his ex-girlfriend. Despite his history of violence against women, the state prison placed Williams in a cell with female inmates, where he allegedly went on to re-offend. California and New Jersey have also seen cases of women stating that they have been violated by males serving time in women's prison.

Judge Lamberth has not yet issued a ruling in a lawsuit filed last week by three additional trans-identifying prisoners who are contesting the executive order's prohibition of federally funded sex change treatments for prisoners.