(Bigstock photo)
A federal judge certified a class-action lawsuit allowing Florida prison inmates who are transgender to collectively challenge the denial of accommodations such as clothing and grooming used to treat gender dysphoria.
Chief U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor certified a class action on the accommodations issue Oct. 22. The accommodations issue stems from state corrections officials denying transgender inmates access to certain clothing and grooming, such as makeup.
The lawsuit, filed in October 2024 after the state revamped its policies on transgender inmates, targets changes that included barring these specific accommodations for those with gender dysphoria.
Winsor’s ruling noted that the five named plaintiffs met the requirements for class certification on this issue, concluding that “evidence shows no salient differences between named plaintiffs and other class members” regarding the loss of access to these social accommodations.
However, Winsor rejected certifying a class action on other allegations about inmates potentially being denied hormone therapy. He wrote that the named plaintiffs had not demonstrated legal standing on that issue, as most are currently receiving hormone treatment and have not shown an “imminent withdrawal” of that care.
The plaintiffs’ attorneys contend that the state’s policies violate the U.S. Constitution’s Eighth Amendment by denying or threatening to deny medically necessary health care for gender dysphoria, a condition defined as distress caused when a person’s gender identity differs from the sex assigned at birth. Corrections officials’ lawyers objected to class certification, arguing that reasonable medical providers disagree on the necessity of “social transitioning” for inmates with gender dysphoria.
The class-certification ruling does not resolve the underlying legal issues in the case, which is scheduled for trial in May.
Sign up for the Watermark Out News eNewsletter and follow us for more:
BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | TikTok | Threads | YouTube
