President Donald Trump has reinstated single-sex prison policies, resulting in the transfer of male inmates who identify as women back to male facilities.
According to a report by the New York Times, approximately 1,500 male federal prisoners identifying as women will be redirected to men’s facilities following President Trump’s executive order aimed at establishing single-sex prisons.
This executive order, titled “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” also terminates transgender-related medical procedures for incarcerated individuals.
The Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF), a feminist organization advocating for single-sex prison systems and raising awareness regarding the vulnerability of incarcerated women to male violence,
has characterized President Trump’s decision as a significant victory. Currently, WoLF is actively engaged in efforts to challenge California legislation that permits inmates to request placement in facilities based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex.
Mr. Trump’s directive aligns with assertions that efforts to eliminate the biological reality of sex fundamentally undermine the dignity, safety, and well-being of women.
Advocates representing transgender individuals and inmates have criticized this order, asserting that it will place vulnerable populations at an increased risk of harm.
Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which has advocated for transgender prisoners, stated, “There will be rapes and physical assaults as a result of this policy.”
She further noted the adverse impact on prison officials, who currently possess the discretion to determine the most appropriate measures for ensuring the safety and security of their facilities.
Legal experts have indicated that this directive is likely to face challenges in the judicial system.
Federal courts have established that prison systems have an obligation to protect vulnerable inmates and have also ruled that they must provide medical care,
including hormone therapies, to individuals diagnosed with gender dysphoria—the psychological distress arising from a dissonance between one’s physical body and gender identity.
In 2022, a federal district judge in Illinois mandated that the bureau provide gender-transition surgery to a transgender inmate, concluding that the denial of such treatment likely constituted a violation of the Eighth Amendment, which ensures the right to necessary medical care.
