President Trump’s directive aimed to ensure the confinement of males solely in men’s prisons.
A federal judge has issued a temporary injunction against a Trump administration order impacting transgender inmates. The order prevents the transfer of transgender inmates to men’s prisons and the termination of their access to gender transition-related medical care.
This ruling counters an executive order, enacted on Trump’s first day back in office, instructing the Bureau of Prisons to house inmates based on biological sex and eliminate funding for specific medical treatments. The order explicitly stated that the bureau must ensure “males are not detained in women’s prisons.”
In a sweeping decision, US District Judge Royce Lamberth temporarily halted the executive order, concluding that three transgender inmates, plaintiffs in a lawsuit, would likely succeed in demonstrating the policy’s unconstitutionality.
The lawsuit alleges that the president’s actions endanger the lives of transgender women by eliminating access to essential medical care via an executive order that “categorically bans transgender healthcare regardless of medical necessity.”
The plaintiffs, reportedly housed in women’s units for months or years before January, were moved from the general population to segregated units pending transfer to men’s facilities.
Their attorney argued they were “terrified” by the potential transfers. Judge Lamberth agreed, citing a “significantly elevated risk of physical and sexual violence” and the risk of “numerous and severe symptoms” without appropriate medical care.
The judge noted approximately 16 transgender women reside in US female penitentiaries, including the three plaintiffs. He concluded that “the public interest in seeing the plaintiffs relocated immediately to male facilities is slight at best.”
This decision marks the second instance of a federal judge siding with LGBTQ+ rights groups who challenged the Bureau of Prisons’ enforcement of the order.
Since his return to office, Trump has issued multiple gender-related orders asserting a US government policy recognizing only “two genders – male and female.”
Trump has rescinded protections for transgender rights and dismantled diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs established under the Biden administration.
He has also terminated federal funding for sex change procedures for minors, characterizing them as “chemical and surgical mutilations” of children.
Last month, he signed an order to eliminate “radical gender ideology” from the US armed forces, stipulating that military service requires mental and physical fitness.
On Thursday, Trump signed another executive order barring trans women from participating in women’s sports. His administration also plans to prevent transgender athletes from competing in US-hosted international events, including the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the World Cup.
Several of Trump’s policies have faced legal challenges, with federal judges blocking some directives. His approach has drawn criticism from civil rights and LGBT advocacy groups.