According to a report by The Guardian in the UK on October 21, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request by the Trump administration to immediately impose restrictions on "gender affirmation care" for transgender individuals in U.S. prisons and federal facilities.
The core of this legal battle is a policy introduced earlier this year. This policy will significantly restrict the medical care and other benefits that transsexual individuals in federal custody can receive.
According to this policy, medications and surgical treatments related to gender transition will be prohibited. The restrictions also extend to ‘social accommodations’, such as access to clothing and hair removal devices; these accommodations are designed to ‘help prisoners present themselves in a way that aligns with their gender identity’. However, psychiatric care will still be provided under this policy.
These restrictions led three transgender individuals held in federal correction facilities in New Jersey, Florida, and Minnesota to file a class-action lawsuit.
According to the plaintiff, the proposed changes deviate significantly from the practices of federal prisons over the long term: The federal prison system has provided hormonal treatment for prisoners with gender anxiety disorders since at least 1992.
This dispute occurred against the backdrop of Trump’s efforts to cut transgender rights. On his first day back in the White House, Trump signed an executive order declaring that the federal government would only recognize male and female genders, and describing transgender identities as false.
This order instructs multiple federal agencies to change their practices, including implementing the requirement that “men should not be imprisoned in women’s prisons,” and to cease funding government medical programs aimed at “making prisoners look like the gender opposite of their actual sex.”
In court defending prison confinement measures, government attorneys described gender transition medical care as “unproven, non-interventions of sex identity”.
However, the plaintiffs challenging this policy warned that allowing these restrictions to take effect could have devastating consequences. They pointed out that it would lead to serious mental health issues and warned, "Patients denied hormone therapy may experience depression worsening, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and self-harm."
The ruling on the 21st stands in contrast to several recent actions taken by the Supreme Court regarding transgender rights. Since last year, the Supreme Court has made several rulings supporting restrictions on American transgenders.
In these rulings, the judges supported state laws that prohibit transgender athletes from joining women's sports teams in public schools, including colleges and universities.
The court also allowed the Trump administration to enforce a ban on transgender people serving in the military. In another ruling, the justices allowed the government to prevent passport applicants from choosing a gender marker that reflects their gender identity.
This legal battle could affect thousands of people within the federal correction system. According to National Public Radio, in 2025, more than 2,000 transgender prisoners are incarcerated in federal prisons and halfway homes.
