gender reassignment killer

Convicted killer gets sex-reassignment surgery on taxpayer's dime

SACRAMENTO, CA -- A 57-year-old convicted killer serving a life sentence in California became the first U.S. inmate to receive state-funded sex-reassignment surgery, the prisoner's attorneys confirmed Friday to The Associated Press.

California prison officials agreed in August 2015 to pay for the surgery for Shiloh Heavenly Quine, who was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping and robbery for ransom and has no possibility of parole.

"For too long, institutions have ignored doctors and casually dismissed medically necessary and life-saving care for transgender people just because of who we are," said Kris Hayashi, executive director of the Transgender Law Center, which represents Quine and other transgender inmates.

Hayashi said the surgery fulfills a landmark legal settlement and is a victory for "all transgender people who have ever been denied the medical care we need."

Quine's case led the state to become the first to set standards for transgender inmates to apply to receive state-funded sex-reassignment surgery. Her case prompted a federal magistrate to provide transgender female inmates housed in men's facilities with items such as nightgowns, scarves and necklaces.

Lacking cosmetics, she had her eyelids tattooed blue and her eyebrows and lashes tattooed black.

Quine previously wrote that her presence in the men's prison creates "confusion and mixed emotions from the males that go from romantic thoughts to disgust and explosive turmoil reactions." She will be moved to a women's prison following the operation, which was performed at a hospital in San Francisco, her attorneys said.

The daughter of Quine's victim said she objects to inmates getting taxpayer-funded surgery that is not readily available to non-criminals, regardless of the cost.

"My dad begged for his life," said Farida Baig, who tried unsuccessfully to block Quine's surgery through the courts. "It just made me dizzy and sick. I'm helping pay for his surgery; I live in California. It's kind of like a slap in the face."

Quine and an accomplice kidnapped and fatally shot 33-year-old Shahid Ali Baig, a father of three, in downtown Los Angeles in February 1980, stealing $80 and his car during a drug- and alcohol-fueled rampage.

California was legally required to pay for the operation, corrections spokeswoman Terry Thornton said.

"The Eighth Amendment of the US Constitution requires that prisons provide inmates with medically necessary treatment for medical and mental health conditions, including inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria," Thornton said in a written statement.

Corrections officials fought for years to avoid paying for sex-reassignment surgeries. In one high-profile case, the state paroled Michelle-Lael Norsworthy in 2015, just one day before a federal appeals court was to hear her request for state-funded surgery.

Joyce Hayhoe, a spokeswoman for the federal court-appointed official who controls California's prison medical care, said the cost of sex-reassignment surgeries could approach $100,000, including procedures and medications before and after the operation. The Transgender Law Center said that figure is exaggerated.

A portion of the state's expense will generally be reimbursed by the federal government, sometimes up to 95 percent, Hayhoe said.

Since the state approved its policy, officials have received 64 other inmate requests for sex-reassignment surgeries, and four have been approved.

Kent Scheidegger, legal director of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, which supports crime victims, said there are not enough operations to make a big dent in the corrections budget, though he does not think the state should fund them.

For Quine, the procedure marks the end of a years-long quest. She says in court documents that she has thought of herself as female since age 9. But she was raised in the 1970s to be "a real man" and went on to marry and divorce two women and father two daughters.

Quine told a prison psychologist who recommended her for the operation that it would bring a "drastic, internal completeness."

She expects it will end a dysfunction and depression so deep that she tried to cut and hang herself in prison five times, most recently in 2014 when she was initially told she could not have the operation.

Quine said she tried unsuccessfully to amputate her genitalia when she was about 19, three years before she went to prison and roughly the same time she tried self-medicating with illegally purchased female hormones.

The federal Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that 3,200 transgender inmates are housed in U.S. prisons and jails.

A judge ordered Massachusetts in 2012 to provide an inmate with sex-reassignment surgery, but the decision was overturned on appeal.

The best known case may be that of Chelsea Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst serving a 35-year sentence at a military prison for leaking government documents to WikiLeaks. The Army agreed last year to pay for hormone treatments for Manning, previously known as Bradley.

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APNewsBreak: California funds 1st US inmate sex reassignment

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A 57-year-old convicted killer serving a life sentence in California became the first U.S. inmate to receive state-funded sex-reassignment surgery, the prisoner’s attorneys confirmed Friday to The Associated Press.

California prison officials agreed in August 2015 to pay for the surgery for Shiloh Heavenly Quine, who was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping and robbery for ransom and has no possibility of parole.

“For too long, institutions have ignored doctors and casually dismissed medically necessary and life-saving care for transgender people just because of who we are,” said Kris Hayashi, executive director of the Transgender Law Center, which represents Quine and other transgender inmates.

Hayashi said the surgery fulfills a landmark legal settlement and is a victory for “all transgender people who have ever been denied the medical care we need.”

Quine’s case led the state to become the first to set standards for transgender inmates to apply to receive state-funded sex-reassignment surgery. Her case prompted a federal magistrate to provide transgender female inmates housed in men’s facilities with items such as nightgowns, scarves and necklaces.

Lacking cosmetics, she had her eyelids tattooed blue and her eyebrows and lashes tattooed black.

Quine previously wrote that her presence in the men’s prison creates “confusion and mixed emotions from the males that go from romantic thoughts to disgust and explosive turmoil reactions.” She will be moved to a women’s prison following the operation, which was performed at a hospital in San Francisco, her attorneys said.

The daughter of Quine’s victim said she objects to inmates getting taxpayer-funded surgery that is not readily available to non-criminals, regardless of the cost.

“My dad begged for his life,” said Farida Baig, who tried unsuccessfully to block Quine’s surgery through the courts. “It just made me dizzy and sick. I’m helping pay for his surgery; I live in California. It’s kind of like a slap in the face.”

Quine and an accomplice kidnapped and fatally shot 33-year-old Shahid Ali Baig, a father of three, in downtown Los Angeles in February 1980, stealing $80 and his car during a drug- and alcohol-fueled rampage.

California was legally required to pay for the operation, corrections spokeswoman Terry Thornton said.

“The Eighth Amendment of the US Constitution requires that prisons provide inmates with medically necessary treatment for medical and mental health conditions, including inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria,” Thornton said in a written statement.

Corrections officials fought for years to avoid paying for sex-reassignment surgeries. In one high-profile case, the state paroled Michelle-Lael Norsworthy in 2015, just one day before a federal appeals court was to hear her request for state-funded surgery.

Joyce Hayhoe, a spokeswoman for the federal court-appointed official who controls California’s prison medical care, said the cost of sex-reassignment surgeries could approach $100,000, including procedures and medications before and after the operation. The Transgender Law Center said that figure is exaggerated.

A portion of the state’s expense will generally be reimbursed by the federal government, sometimes up to 95 percent, Hayhoe said.

Since the state approved its policy, officials have received 64 other inmate requests for sex-reassignment surgeries, and four have been approved.

Kent Scheidegger, legal director of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, which supports crime victims, said there are not enough operations to make a big dent in the corrections budget, though he does not think the state should fund them.

For Quine, the procedure marks the end of a years-long quest. She says in court documents that she has thought of herself as female since age 9. But she was raised in the 1970s to be “a real man” and went on to marry and divorce two women and father two daughters.

Quine told a prison psychologist who recommended her for the operation that it would bring a “drastic, internal completeness.”

She expects it will end a dysfunction and depression so deep that she tried to cut and hang herself in prison five times, most recently in 2014 when she was initially told she could not have the operation.

Quine said she tried unsuccessfully to amputate her genitalia when she was about 19, three years before she went to prison and roughly the same time she tried self-medicating with illegally purchased female hormones.

The federal Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that 3,200 transgender inmates are housed in U.S. prisons and jails.

A judge ordered Massachusetts in 2012 to provide an inmate with sex-reassignment surgery, but the decision was overturned on appeal.

The best known case may be that of Chelsea Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst serving a 35-year sentence at a military prison for leaking government documents to WikiLeaks. The Army agreed last year to pay for hormone treatments for Manning, previously known as Bradley.

• Nation & World

Inmate seeking gender-affirming surgery moved to women's prison in Topeka

A convicted killer who has long sought gender-affirming surgery was moved from a men's prison to an all-women's prison in Topeka last week, at a time when prison inmates in the U.S. are increasingly being granted that procedure.

Michelle Renee Lamb, 81, became an inmate Friday in the central unit at Topeka Correctional Facility, according to Kansas Department of Corrections records.

Lamb, formerly known as Thomas Lamb, was previously an inmate at El Dorado Correctional Facility, a men's prison.

Lamb is serving three life terms for the 1969 aggravated kidnapping and first-degree murder of 24-year-old Patricia Sue Kemmerle and the 1970 aggravated kidnapping of 18-year-old Patricia Childs, both in Johnson County.

It wasn't clear Wednesday if Lamb had received gender-affirming surgery. Lamb didn't immediately respond to a message on the prison's communication platform seeking comment.

Randall Bowman, KDOC's executive director of public affairs, wouldn't discuss Lamb's specific situation.

"Due to patient privacy concerns, KDOC and the Governor’s Office cannot comment on the specifics of medical care for any one individual," he said.

KDOC officials don't make health care decisions, Bowman added.

He said that under KDOC's contract with its health care provider, Centurion, no one procedure affects the overall rate that agency pays for health care.

"Thus, the cost of one single medical procedure for a resident is not directly passed onto the taxpayers," Bowman said.

More: Kansas bill to criminalize transgender health care for youths. Here's what to know.

Inmates who sued won right to gender-confirmation surgery elsewhere

Transgender inmates in recent years have increasingly been granted gender reassignment surgery in the U.S.

In what was called a landmark decision, a federal judge last April ordered the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to arrange for gender dysphoria patient Cristina Nichole Iglesias to become the first person to receive gender reassignment surgery while in federal custody .

Gender dysphoria is a sense of unease regarding a person's mismatch between their biological sex and gender identity that's so severe it may lead to depression and anxiety, with some turning to self-harm and suicide.

Courts have also ordered gender reassignment surgery to be provided to inmates in Wisconsin and Idaho , while California maintains a policy granting inmates access to that surgery.

More: Laura Kelly says it would have been a ❛mistake❜ not to respond with transgender athletes ad

Michelle Lamb sued seeking surgery

U.S. District Court records show Lamb in 2016 sued KDOC and its then-medical care provider, Corizon, alleging they violated Lamb's Eighth Amendment rights by failing to effectively treat Lamb's gender dysphoria in accordance with current medical standards and by housing Lamb in conditions that violated Lamb's constitutional rights.

Lamb had been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, the lawsuit petition said.

Lamb asked for more comprehensive treatment of that condition, access to more female items in prison, recognition by the corrections department of the legal name change to "Michelle Renee Lamb" made in 2007 and transfer to a female-only prison.

U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren in July 2017 issued a summary judgment denying Lamb's requests without a trial.

The state and Corizon were obligated to treat Lamb’s gender dysphoria but not in the specific manner Lamb preferred, Melgren wrote.

An appeals court upheld that ruling in 2018.

1970 kidnapping was aimed at financing gender reassignment surgery

Topeka Capital-Journal archives show that Lamb in January 1970 used a gun to kidnap Patricia Childs from the parking lot of an Overland Park shopping mall, then forced her to telephone her parents and demand ransom money, allegedly to pay for gender reassignment surgery for Lamb. Childs obeyed Lamb's order to tell her parents not to call police.

But Childs' father, Overland Park medical supply salesman Joseph J. Childs, called the police. Officers staked out the area involved as Joseph Childs met with Lamb the next day in a parking lot near Olathe, where Joseph Childs exchanged the money for his daughter.

When police moved in, Lamb led officers on a high-speed chase, which ended when Lamb's car struck a police car at a roadblock.

At Lamb's home, police found a purse and other property belonging to Kemmerle, who had been strangled to death the previous month before her nude, snow-covered body was found in a cornfield near Olathe.

Five days after being arrested, Lamb and another inmate — who had gotten possession of a gun while working as a jail trustee — captured a jailer and three dispatchers and locked them in a cell.

Lamb and the other inmate escaped, abducted a customer from a nearby cafe and left with him in his car but were subsequently captured at a roadblock.

In June 1970, Lamb was sentenced to three consecutive life terms in prison for the first-degree murder of Kemmerle and the aggravated kidnappings of Kemmerle and Patricia Childs.

In 1979, Lamb escaped from Lansing Correctional Facility but was recaptured after leading police on a high-speed vehicle chase.

In 1987, Lamb escaped from Larned State Hospital, stole a car from its owner at knife-point, then again led police on a high-speed chase before being captured.

After Lamb was denied parole in 2001, Lamb filed a libel suit contending a Kansas City Star reporter had made false and defamatory statements in an article published as Lamb's parole was being considered.

A federal appeals court ruled against Lamb in 2004, saying Lamb's actions had diminished Lamb's reputation to the point that  Lamb had become "libel-proof."

Contact Tim Hrenchir at [email protected] or 785-213-5934.

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Convicted killer receives country’s first state-funded sex-reassignment surgery

A 57-year-old convicted killer serving a life sentence in California became the first U.S. inmate to receive state-funded sex-reassignment surgery, the prisoner’s attorneys confirmed Friday to The Associated Press.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A 57-year-old convicted killer serving a life sentence in California became the first U.S. inmate to receive state-funded sex-reassignment surgery, the prisoner’s attorneys confirmed Friday to The Associated Press.

California prison officials agreed in August 2015 to pay for the surgery for Shiloh Heavenly Quine, who was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping and robbery for ransom and has no possibility of parole.

“For too long, institutions have ignored doctors and casually dismissed medically necessary and life-saving care for transgender people just because of who we are,” said Kris Hayashi, executive director of the Transgender Law Center, which represents Quine and other transgender inmates.

Hayashi said the surgery fulfills a landmark legal settlement and is a victory for “all transgender people who have ever been denied the medical care we need.”

Quine’s case led the state to become the first to set standards for transgender inmates to apply to receive state-funded sex-reassignment surgery. Her case prompted a federal magistrate to provide transgender female inmates housed in men’s facilities with items such as nightgowns, scarves and necklaces.

Lacking cosmetics, she had her eyelids tattooed blue and her eyebrows and lashes tattooed black.

Quine previously wrote that her presence in the men’s prison creates “confusion and mixed emotions from the males that go from romantic thoughts to disgust and explosive turmoil reactions.” She will be moved to a women’s prison following the operation, which was performed at a hospital in San Francisco, her attorneys said.

The daughter of Quine’s victim said she objects to inmates getting taxpayer-funded surgery that is not readily available to noncriminals, regardless of the cost.

“My dad begged for his life,” said Farida Baig, who tried unsuccessfully to block Quine’s surgery through the courts. “It just made me dizzy and sick. I’m helping pay for his surgery; I live in California. It’s kind of like a slap in the face.”

Quine and an accomplice kidnapped and fatally shot 33-year-old Shahid Ali Baig, a father of three, in downtown Los Angeles in February 1980, stealing $80 and his car during a drug- and alcohol-fueled rampage.

California was legally required to pay for the operation, corrections spokeswoman Terry Thornton said.

“The Eighth Amendment of the US Constitution requires that prisons provide inmates with medically necessary treatment for medical and mental health conditions, including inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria,” Thornton said in a written statement.

Corrections officials fought for years to avoid paying for sex-reassignment surgeries. In one high-profile case, the state paroled Michelle-Lael Norsworthy in 2015, just one day before a federal appeals court was to hear her request for state-funded surgery.

Joyce Hayhoe, a spokeswoman for the federal court-appointed official who controls California’s prison medical care, said the cost of sex-reassignment surgeries could approach $100,000, including procedures and medications before and after the operation. The Transgender Law Center said that figure is exaggerated.

A portion of the state’s expense will generally be reimbursed by the federal government, sometimes up to 95 percent, Hayhoe said.

Since the state approved its policy, officials have received 64 other inmate requests for sex-reassignment surgeries, and four have been approved.

Kent Scheidegger, legal director of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, which supports crime victims, said there are not enough operations to make a big dent in the corrections budget, though he does not think the state should fund them.

For Quine, the procedure marks the end of a years-long quest. She says in court documents that she has thought of herself as female since age 9. But she was raised in the 1970s to be “a real man” and went on to marry and divorce two women and father two daughters.

Quine told a prison psychologist who recommended her for the operation that it would bring a “drastic, internal completeness.”

She expects it will end a dysfunction and depression so deep that she tried to cut and hang herself in prison five times, most recently in 2014 when she was initially told she could not have the operation.

Quine said she tried unsuccessfully to amputate her genitalia when she was about 19, three years before she went to prison and roughly the same time she tried self-medicating with illegally purchased female hormones.

The federal Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that 3,200 transgender inmates are housed in U.S. prisons and jails.

A judge ordered Massachusetts in 2012 to provide an inmate with sex-reassignment surgery, but the decision was overturned on appeal.

The best known case may be that of Chelsea Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst serving a 35-year sentence at a military prison for leaking government documents to WikiLeaks. The Army agreed last year to pay for hormone treatments for Manning, previously known as Bradley.

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The families of the Americans taken hostage fear that with all the tumult of the Israel-Hamas war, Americans often forget about their fellow citizens who remain missing.

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Connecticut Home Invasion Convict Is Undergoing Gender Transition in Prison

Steven Hayes is serving six life sentences for the 2007 murder of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters, Michaela and Hayley.

By Neil Vigdor

Steven Hayes, who was convicted of a deadly 2007 home invasion in Connecticut that was so brutal it gained international attention, is receiving hormone therapy in prison as part of a gender transition.

The inmate discussed the transition during a series of recent phone interviews with Joe Tomaso for the “15 Minutes With...” podcast , which were published in September and early October. Hayes is at the Greene state prison in Waynesburg, Pa., after being transferred in 2016 as part of an interstate agreement.

The 56-year-old Hayes is serving six life sentences for the killing of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters, Michaela and Hayley.

“There’s a lot of problems with the presentation as a female,” Hayes said on the podcast. “A lot of people accept it, but this facility here, you have a lot of racists and bigots on staff and they’re not happy with it. There’s two of us here that are feminine.”

Hayes still used the name Steven on the podcast, and did not say which pronouns were preferred.

Hayes spoke of being affected by a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria, in which a person’s outward appearance does not align with their mental and emotional state, and a recurring drug problem.

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Justice Department is reviewing Trump-era policies on transgender inmates

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The U.S. Justice Department is reviewing its policies on housing transgender inmates in the federal prison system after protections for trans prisoners were rolled back in the Trump administration, the Associated Press has learned.

The federal Bureau of Prisons’ policies for trans inmates were thrust into the spotlight this week after a leader of an Illinois anti-government militia group — who identifies as transgender — was sentenced to 53 years in prison for masterminding the 2017 bombing of a Minnesota mosque.

Emily Claire Hari, who was charged, tried and convicted as Michael Hari, was sentenced Monday for the bombing of Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minn. It will now be up to the Bureau of Prisons’ Transgender Executive Council — a group of psychology and correctional officials — to determine where to house Hari in a system of 122 federal prisons.

Under the Obama administration, the bureau’s policies for trans inmates , compiled in the Transgender Offender Manual, called for the council to “recommend housing by gender identity when appropriate.” That language was changed in the Trump administration to require the committee to “use biological sex as the initial determination.”

The Trump-era manual, which remains in effect, says the agency would assign an inmate to a facility based on gender identification only “in rare cases.” About 1,200 inmates of the nearly 156,000 federal prisoners in the U.S. identify as transgender, a Justice Department official said.

The council on trans prisoners, established in 2016, consists of about 10 people, including two psychologists, a psychiatrist and prison-designation experts, a Justice Department official told the AP. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the issue and spoke on condition of anonymity.

California prisons grapple with hundreds of transgender inmates requesting new housing

There have been more than 260 requests for housing transfers this year under a new law that gives transgender, intersex and nonbinary inmates the right, regardless of anatomy, to be housed based on their gender identity.

April 5, 2021

The council must consider an inmate’s health and safety, any potential history of disciplinary action and the security level of the federal prison where the inmate could be assigned. Other factors include prison staffing and the programs or classes the inmate might need.

A Justice Department spokesperson said the bureau is committed to providing all inmates with a safe and humane environment, “including providing gender-affirming housing where appropriate. BOP is in the process of reviewing the current version of its policy regarding transgender inmates.”

There are few high-security federal prisons for female inmates , which would also factor into Hari’s placement. Because of the crime Hari committed, it is likely she would need to be housed in a high-security prison, as opposed to a medium- or low-security facility.

Many transgender inmates also don’t request to be assigned to prisons to match their gender identity, the Justice Department official said, in part for their own safety.

California murder convict becomes first U.S. inmate to have state-funded sex reassignment surgery

A 57-year-old convicted killer serving a life sentence has become the first U.S. inmate to receive state-funded sex-reassignment surgery, the prisoner’s attorneys confirmed Friday.

Jan. 6, 2017

Prosecutors said during Hari’s trial that hatred for Muslims motivated her to carry out the attack, which didn’t physically hurt anyone but traumatized the local Muslim community .

Several men were gathered for early morning prayers at Dar Al-Farooq on Aug. 5, 2017, when a pipe bomb was thrown into an imam’s office and detonated. Hari and co-defendants Joe Morris and Michael McWhorter were tracked by authorities to Clarence, Ill., a rural community about 120 miles south of Chicago, after a seven-month investigation.

Hari, 50, was convicted in December of five counts that include using explosives, obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs and damaging property because of its religious character. Prosecutors said Hari masterminded the attack.

According to court documents, Hari informed a Minnesota jail deputy in late December of her gender dysphoria and requested to be moved to a women’s facility and provided with hormone-replacement therapy. Documents filed by the defense describe Hari’s gender dysphoria as “unbearable” and say that the stress, along with right-wing misinformation, fueled an “inner conflict” during the time of the bombing.

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“She strongly desired making a full transition but knew she would be ostracized from everyone and everything she knew,” defense lawyer Shannon Elkins wrote. “Thus, as she formed a ragtag group of freedom fighters or militia men and spoke of missions to Cuba and Venezuela, Ms. Hari secretly looked up ‘sex change,’ ‘transgender surgery’ and ‘post-op transgender’ on the internet.”

Elkins said Hari was living a double life, planning a trip to Thailand for surgery and purchasing female clothes while buying military fatigues for the militia.

Elkins did not return calls seeking an interview on where Hari hoped to serve the prison sentence.

Prosecutors said it was offensive to use gender dysphoria to deflect culpability for the attack, which prosecutors said Hari refused to take responsibility for. U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank, who was appointed by President Clinton, said during Monday’s sentencing hearing that he was prepared to recommend that Hari be sent to a women’s facility, but the final decision was up to the Bureau of Prisons.

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Convicted killer gets sex-reassignment surgery on California taxpayer's dime

SACRAMENTO, Calif.

A 57-year-old convicted killer serving a life sentence in California became the first U.S. inmate to receive state-funded sex-reassignment surgery, the prisoner's attorneys confirmed Friday to The Associated Press.

California prison officials agreed in August 2015 to pay for the surgery for Shiloh Heavenly Quine, who was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping and robbery for ransom and has no possibility of parole.

"For too long, institutions have ignored doctors and casually dismissed medically necessary and life-saving care for transgender people just because of who we are," said Kris Hayashi, executive director of the Transgender Law Center, which represents Quine and other transgender inmates.

Hayashi said the surgery fulfills a landmark legal settlement and is a victory for "all transgender people who have ever been denied the medical care we need."

Quine's case led the state to become the first to set standards for transgender inmates to apply to receive state-funded sex-reassignment surgery. Her case prompted a federal magistrate to provide transgender female inmates housed in men's facilities with items such as nightgowns, scarves and necklaces.

Lacking cosmetics, she had her eyelids tattooed blue and her eyebrows and lashes tattooed black.

Quine previously wrote that her presence in the men's prison creates "confusion and mixed emotions from the males that go from romantic thoughts to disgust and explosive turmoil reactions." She will be moved to a women's prison following the operation, which was performed at a hospital in San Francisco, her attorneys said.

The daughter of Quine's victim said she objects to inmates getting taxpayer-funded surgery that is not readily available to non-criminals, regardless of the cost.

"My dad begged for his life," said Farida Baig, who tried unsuccessfully to block Quine's surgery through the courts. "It just made me dizzy and sick. I'm helping pay for his surgery; I live in California. It's kind of like a slap in the face."

Quine and an accomplice kidnapped and fatally shot 33-year-old Shahid Ali Baig, a father of three, in downtown Los Angeles in February 1980, stealing $80 and his car during a drug- and alcohol-fueled rampage.

California was legally required to pay for the operation, corrections spokeswoman Terry Thornton said.

"The Eighth Amendment of the US Constitution requires that prisons provide inmates with medically necessary treatment for medical and mental health conditions, including inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria," Thornton said in a written statement.

Corrections officials fought for years to avoid paying for sex-reassignment surgeries. In one high-profile case, the state paroled Michelle-Lael Norsworthy in 2015, just one day before a federal appeals court was to hear her request for state-funded surgery.

Joyce Hayhoe, a spokeswoman for the federal court-appointed official who controls California's prison medical care, said the cost of sex-reassignment surgeries could approach $100,000, including procedures and medications before and after the operation. The Transgender Law Center said that figure is exaggerated.

A portion of the state's expense will generally be reimbursed by the federal government, sometimes up to 95 percent, Hayhoe said.

Since the state approved its policy, officials have received 64 other inmate requests for sex-reassignment surgeries, and four have been approved.

Kent Scheidegger, legal director of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, which supports crime victims, said there are not enough operations to make a big dent in the corrections budget, though he does not think the state should fund them.

For Quine, the procedure marks the end of a years-long quest. She says in court documents that she has thought of herself as female since age 9. But she was raised in the 1970s to be "a real man" and went on to marry and divorce two women and father two daughters.

Quine told a prison psychologist who recommended her for the operation that it would bring a "drastic, internal completeness."

She expects it will end a dysfunction and depression so deep that she tried to cut and hang herself in prison five times, most recently in 2014 when she was initially told she could not have the operation.

Quine said she tried unsuccessfully to amputate her genitalia when she was about 19, three years before she went to prison and roughly the same time she tried self-medicating with illegally purchased female hormones.

The federal Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that 3,200 transgender inmates are housed in U.S. prisons and jails.

A judge ordered Massachusetts in 2012 to provide an inmate with sex-reassignment surgery, but the decision was overturned on appeal.

The best known case may be that of Chelsea Manning, a former Army intelligence analyst serving a 35-year sentence at a military prison for leaking government documents to WikiLeaks. The Army agreed last year to pay for hormone treatments for Manning, previously known as Bradley.

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FACT SHEET: Biden- ⁠ Harris Administration Advances Equality and Visibility for Transgender Americans

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration recognizes Transgender Day of Visibility, an annual celebration of the resilience, achievements, and joy of transgender people in the United States and around the world. Every American deserves the freedom to be themselves. But far too many transgender Americans still face systemic barriers, discrimination, and acts of violence. Today, the Administration once again condemns the proliferation of dangerous anti-transgender legislative attacks that have been introduced and passed in state legislatures around the country. The evidence is clear that these types of bills stigmatize and worsen the well-being and mental health of transgender kids, and they put loving and supportive families across the country at risk of discrimination and harassment. As the President has said, these bills are government overreach at its worst, they are un-American, and they must stop. Transgender people are some of the bravest people in our nation. But nobody should have to be brave just to be themselves. Today, the Biden Administration announced new actions to support the mental health of transgender children, remove barriers that transgender people face accessing critical government services, and improve the visibility of transgender people in our nation’s data.

Reinforcing federal protections for transgender kids. The Justice Department announced today that it has issued a letter to all state attorneys general reminding them of federal constitutional and statutory provisions that protect transgender youth against discrimination, including when those youth seek gender-affirming care. Advancing dignity, respect, and self-determination for transgender people by improving the traveler experience. For far too long, transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming Americans have faced significant barriers to travelling safely and many have not had their gender identity respected as they travel within the United States and around the world. To create a safer and more dignified travel experience, the Biden Administration is announcing the following changes.

• The Department of State is announcing that beginning on April 11, 2022, all U.S. citizens will be able select an “X” as their gender marker on their U.S. passport application. This is a major step in delivering on the President’s commitment to expand access to accurate identification documents for transgender and non-binary Americans. Information on how to apply will be available at travel.state.gov/gender .
• Implementing enhanced screening technology. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will soon begin updating its Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) body scanners with new technology that will increase security and efficiency by reducing false alarm rates and pat-downs for the traveling public. By replacing the current, gender-based system with this more accurate technology, TSA will improve the customer experience of transgender travelers who have previously been required to undergo additional screening due to alarms in sensitive areas.  This new technology will help to improve the experience of travelers, particularly those who are transgender and non-binary travelers. TSA will begin deploying this new technology in airports throughout the country later this year.
• Expanding airline partnerships to enhance the overall travel experience.  TSA is working closely with air carriers across the nation to promote the use and acceptance of the “X” gender marker to ensure more efficient and accurate passenger processing. As of March 31st, two major domestic air carriers already offer a third gender marker option in their travel-reservation systems, with a third air carrier planning to offer this option in the Fall of 2022.
• Streamlining identity validation. TSA has updated its Standard Operating Procedures to remove gender considerations when validating a traveler’s identification at airport security checkpoints. This ensures that TSOs can accurately and efficiently validate each traveler’s identity while avoiding unnecessary delays.
• Updating TSA PreCheck and CBP Trusted Traveler Programs enrollment to include “X” gender markers. The Department of Homeland Security is beginning the process of adding “X” gender markers options in Trusted Traveler programs and the TSA PreCheck program to enhance access for transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming travelers to these programs.

Providing resources for transgender kids and their families. Transgender children are put at higher risk of attempted suicide or mental health challenges when they face bullying, rejection, or denial of health care. The Biden Administration is releasing several new resources to help transgender children and their parents thrive:

• Providing mental health resources for transgender youth.  In recent months, multiple states have removed critical information about mental health resources for LGBTQI+ youth from official state websites. Transgender youth often face significant barriers in accessing supportive resources, and are at greater risk of attempted suicide. In response, the Department of Health and Human Services released a new website that offers resources for transgender and LGBTQI+ youth, their parents, and providers. These resources include best practices for affirming an LGBTQI+ child, and information about suicide prevention services.
• Expanding trainings to support transgender and nonbinary students in schools. The Office of Safe and Supportive Schools in the Department of Education will offer new training for schools with experts and school leaders who will discuss the challenges faced by many transgender and nonbinary students and strategies and actions for providing support.
• Confirming the positive impact of gender affirming care on youth mental health. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has posted LGBTQI+ Youth – Like All Americans, They Deserve Evidence-Based Care , in which Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA, shares how to engage LGBTQI+ youth, the evidence behind the positive effects of gender affirming care, and available resources for LGBTQI+ youth, their families, providers, community organizations, and government agencies.
• Confirming that gender-affirming care is trauma-informed care. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), which is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is releasing new information for providers confirming that providing gender-affirming care is neither child maltreatment nor malpractice.
• Providing resources on the importance of gender affirming care for children and adolescents. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health has developed a resource to inform parents and guardians, educators, and other persons supporting children and adolescents with information on what is gender-affirming care and why it is important to transgender, nonbinary, and other gender expansive young people’s well-being.

Improving access to federal services and benefits for transgender Americans.  With support and coordination from the U.S. Digital Service, federal agencies are removing barriers to access government services by improving the customer experience of transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming Americans:

• Accessing retirement savings. The Social Security Administration is announcing that it is removing the requirement that transgender people show proof of identity such as doctor’s notes in order to update their gender information in their social security record by the fall of 2022. This will significantly improve transgender individuals’ experience in accessing their retirement benefits, obtaining health care, and applying for jobs.
• Filing an employment discrimination complaint . The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is announcing that it will promote greater equity and inclusion for members of the transgender community by giving individuals the option to select an “X” gender marker during the voluntary self-identification questions that are part of the intake process for filing a charge of discrimination.
• Applying for federal student aid. The Department of Education plans to propose next month that the 2023-24 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) will include an opportunity for applicants to indicate their gender identity as well as their race/ethnicity when applying for federal financial aid. The questions, which will be posted for public comment, will be in a survey that accompanies the application. This privacy-protected information would help to inform the Department about possible barriers students, including transgender and nonbinary students, face in the financial aid process.
• Visiting the White House.  The White House Office of Management and Administration is announcing that it is beginning the process of implementing updates that will improve the White House campus entry process for transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary visitors by adding an “X” gender marker option to the White House Worker and Visitor Entry System (WAVES) system. This change will ensure that transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming people can visit the People’s House in a manner that respects and affirms their gender identity.

Advancing inclusion and visibility in federal data. In too many critical federal surveys and data systems, transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming people are not fully reflected. To improve visibility for transgender Americans, agencies are announcing new actions to expand the collection and use of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data.

• The White House announced that the President’s proposed Fiscal Year 23 budget includes $10 million in funding for additional critical research on how to best add questions about sexual orientation and gender identity to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, one of our nation’s largest and most important surveys of American households. This data collection will help the federal government better serve the LGBTQI+ community by providing valuable information on their jobs, educational attainment, home ownership, and more.
• The Department of Health and Human Services has released the findings of the federal government’s first-ever user research testing conducted with transgender Americans on how they want to see themselves reflected on Federal IDs. This groundbreaking user research by the Collaborating Center for Question Design and Evaluation Research (CCQDER) at the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) directly informed the State Department’s adopted definition of the “X” gender marker.
• The Department of Health and Human Services  has released a comprehensive new consensus study on Measuring Sex, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation. This work, commissioned by the National Institutes of Health and carried out by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, will inform additional data collections and future research in how to best serve LGBTQI+ Americans.

These announcements build on the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic work to advance equality for transgender Americans since taking office, including: Combatting legislative attacks on transgender kids at the state level.

• Condemning anti-transgender bills. The President has consistently made clear that legislative attacks against transgender youth are un-American, and are bullying disguised as legislation. In his March, 2022 State of the Union Address, the President said, “The onslaught of state laws targeting transgender Americans and their families is wrong. As I said last year, especially to our younger transgender Americans, I will always have your back as your President, so you can be yourself and reach your God-given potential.” The White House has also hosted listening sessions with transgender youth and advocates in states across the country that are impacted by anti-transgender legislative attacks.
• Reaffirming that transgender children have the right to access gender-affirming health care. In March, following state actions that aim to target parents and doctors who provide gender-affirming care to transgender children with child abuse investigations, the Department of Health and Human Services took multiple actions to support transgender children in receiving the care they need and promised to use every tool available to protect LGTBQI+ children and support their families.
• Department of Justice statements of interest and amicus briefs. The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has filed Statements of Interest and amicus briefs in several matters to protect the constitutional rights of transgender individuals, including in Brandt v. Rutledge , a lawsuit challenging legislation restricting access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth; B.P.J. v. West Virginia State Board of Education , a lawsuit challenging legislation restricting participation of transgender students in school sports; Corbitt v. Taylor , a lawsuit challenging legislation restricting the ability to change gender markers on state driver’s licenses; and Adams v. School Board of St. John’s County , which involves the right of a transgender boy to use the boys’ restroom at his school.

Advancing civil rights protections for transgender Americans

• Fighting for passage of the Equality Act.  President Biden  continues to call  on the Senate to pass the Equality Act, legislation which will provide long overdue federal civil rights protections to transgender and LGBTQI+ Americans and their families. As the White House has  said , passing the Equality Act is key to addressing the epidemic levels of violence and discrimination that transgender people face. The Administration’s first Statement of Administration Policy was in support of the Equality Act, and the White House has convened national leaders to discuss the importance of the legislation.
• Signing one of the most comprehensive Executive Orders on LGBTQI+ rights in history.  Within hours of taking office, President Biden signed an  Executive Order  which established that it is the official policy of the Biden-Harris Administration to prevent and combat discrimination against LGBTQI+ individuals, and to fully enforce civil rights laws to prevent discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. This Executive Order is one of the most consequential policies for LGBTQI+ Americans ever signed by a U.S. President. As a result of that Order, the Departments of Health and Human Services , Housing and Urban Development , Education , Consumer Financial Protection Bureau , and Justice have announced that they are expanding non-discrimination protections for transgender people in health care, housing, education, credit and lending services, and community safety programs.

Supporting transgender service members and veterans

• Reversing the discriminatory ban on transgender servicemembers.  In his first week in office, President Biden  signed  an Executive Order reversing the ban on openly transgender servicemembers serving in the Armed Forces, enabling all qualified Americans to serve their country in uniform. President Biden believes that an inclusive military strengthens our national security As a result of his Executive Order, the Department of Defense issued new  policies  which prohibit discrimination against transgender servicemembers, provide a path for transgender servicemembers to access gender-affirming medical care, and require that all transgender servicemembers are treated with dignity and respect.
• Supporting transgender veterans. To ensure that transgender veterans are treated with dignity and respect, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) launched an  agency-wide review  of its policies and practices to ensure that transgender veterans and employees do not face discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression. In June, VA also announced that it is beginning the regulatory process to remove restrictions that prevent transgender veterans from accessing the gender-affirming care they need and deserve.

Responding to the crisis of anti-transgender violence and advancing safety

• Establishing a White House-led interagency working group on anti-transgender violence. To address the crisis of anti-transgender stigma and violence, during Pride Month in 2021 the White House established the first Interagency Working Group on Safety, Opportunity, and Inclusion for Transgender and Gender Diverse Individuals. The Working Group is co-led by the White House Domestic Policy Council and Gender Policy Council. To inform the priorities of the Working Group, throughout the fall of 2021 the White House convened 15 historic listening sessions with transgender and gender diverse people, advocates, and civil rights leaders from across the country and around the world, including a White House roundtable with transgender women of color .
• Releasing a White House report uplifting the voices of transgender people on gender-based violence and discrimination. On Transgender Day of Remembrance, the White House released a  report  sharing the perspectives from White House listening sessions, uplifting the voices and advocacy of transgender people throughout the country, and highlighting over 45 key, early actions the Biden-Harris Administration is taking to address the root causes of anti-transgender violence, discrimination, and denial of economic opportunity.
• Department of Justice civil rights enforcement actions. On September 14, 2021, the Department of Justice announced that it was launching a statewide civil investigation into Georgia’s prisons, which includes a focus on sexual abuse of transgender prisoners by other prisoners and staff. The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico also obtained a federal indictment charging three men with hate crimes for assaulting a transgender woman because of her gender identity.
• Ensuring non-discrimination protections in community safety programs. The Department of Justice issued a Memorandum from the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights regarding the application of Bostock v. Clayton County to the nondiscrimination provisions of the Safe Streets Act, the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, the Victims of Crime Act, and the Violence Against Women Act to strengthen non-discrimination protections for transgender and LGBTQI+ individuals in key community safety programs.
• Strengthening protections for transgender individuals who are incarcerated. In January 2022 the Bureau of Prisons revised its manual on serving transgender offenders , improving access to gender-affirming care and access to facility placements that align with an inmate’s gender identity.
• Honoring those lost to violence.  The White House and the Second Gentleman of the United States hosted a first of its kind vigil in the Diplomatic Room of the White House to honor the lives of transgender and gender diverse people killed in 2021, and the countless transgender and gender diverse people who face brutal violence, harassment, and discrimination in the United States and around the world. The President also released a statement honoring the transgender people who lost their lives to violence.
• Advancing safety and justice for transgender and Two-Spirit Indigenous people. LGBTQI+ Native Americans and people who identify as transgender or “Two-Spirit” are often the targets of violent crimes. On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed an Executive Order on Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People. The Executive Order directs federal agencies to work hand in hand with Tribal Nations and Tribal partners to build safe and healthy Tribal communities to address the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, including LGBTQI+ and “Two-Spirit” Native Americans.

Advancing health equity and expanding access to gender-affirming health care to support transgender patients

• Protecting transgender patients from health care discrimination. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it would interpret and enforce section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act’s prohibition on discrimination on the basis of sex in certain health programs to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.
• Advancing gender-affirming care as an essential health benefit.  In 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved the first ever application from a state to add additional gender-affirming care benefits to a state’s essential health benefit benchmark plan.
• Advancing health equity research on gender-affirming care.  The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that it will increase funding for research on gender-affirming procedures to further develop the evidence base for improved standards of care. Research priorities include a more thorough investigation and characterization of the short- and long-term outcomes on physical and mental health associated with gender-affirming care.
• Ending the HIV crisis among transgender and gender diverse communities.  In December, 2021, in recognition of World AIDS Day, the White House Office of National AIDS Policy released a revised National HIV/AIDS Strategy which now identifies transgender and gender diverse communities as a priority population in the federal government’s strategy to end the HIV epidemic.
• Advancing access to gender-affirming care through Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. The Health Resources and Services Administration announced that it has released a letter encouraging Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program service providers to provide access to gender affirming care and treatment services to transgender and gender diverse individuals with HIV. The letter reaffirms the importance of providing culturally-affirming health care and social services as a key component to improving the lives of transgender people with HIV.
• Ensuring transgender patients can access birth control. In 2021 HHS issued a final rule to strengthen the Title X family planning program, fulfilling the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to restore access to equitable, affordable, client-centered, quality family planning services. The rule requires family planning projects to provide inclusive care to LGBTQI+ persons. Additionally, the rule prohibits discrimination against any client based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex characteristics, or marital status.

Supporting transgender students and their families

• Ensuring educational environments are free from sex discrimination and protecting LGBTQI+ students from sexual harassment.  President Biden signed an  Executive Order  recommitting the Federal Government to guarantee educational environments free from sex discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The Executive Order charged the Department of Education with reviewing the significant rates at which students who identify as LGBTQ+ are subject to sexual harassment, including sexual violence. The Department of Education has announced that it intends to propose amendments to its Title IX regulations this year.
• Protecting the rights of transgender and gender diverse students. The Department of Education has affirmed that federal civil rights laws protect all students, including transgender and other LGBTQI+ students, from discrimination. The Department published a notice in the Federal Register announcing that it interprets Title IX’s statutory prohibition on sex discrimination as encompassing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
• Department of Justice memorandum on Title IX. The Department of Justice issued a memorandum regarding the application of Bostock to Title IX.
• Speaking directly to transgender students. The Department of Justice, Department of Education, and Department of Health and Human Services issued a joint back to school message for transgender youth.
• Outreach and education to transgender and gender diverse students and their families. The Department of Education has published fact sheets and other resources showing the federal government’s support for transgender students, highlighting the ways schools can support students, reminding schools of their duty to investigate and address harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and informing students how they can assert their rights and file complaints.
• Advancing research to address the harms of so-called conversion therapy.  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced that it will update its 2015 publication  Ending Conversion Therapy: Supporting and Affirming LGBTQ Youth  to reflect the latest research and state of the field. 

Promoting fair housing and ending homelessness for transgender Americans

• Advancing fair housing protections on the basis of gender identity. In February 2021 the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that it would administer and enforce the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.
• Ensuring safety and access to services for transgender people experiencing homelessness. In April, HUD withdrew the previous administration’s proposed “Shelter Rule,” which would have allowed for federally funded discrimination against transgender people who seek shelter housing. By withdrawing the previous administration’s proposed rule, the agency has restored protections for transgender people to access shelter in line with their gender identity. HUD has also released new tools for recipients to ensure compliance with these requirements in shelters and other facility settings.

Advancing economic opportunity and protections for transgender workers

• Ensuring nondiscrimination protections for transgender and gender diverse workers. In November 2021, the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs proposed to rescind the agency’s 2020 rule “Implementing Legal Requirements Regarding the Equal Opportunity Clause’s Religious Exemption,” an important step toward protecting workers from discrimination while safeguarding principles of religious freedom.
• Ensuring equal access to the workforce development system. The Department of Labor is enforcing discrimination prohibitions in workforce development programs funded by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, protecting workers from discrimination based on their gender identity or transgender status.

Advancing gender equity and transgender equality at home and around the world

• Advancing transgender equality in U.S. foreign policy and foreign assistance. In line with the Presidential Memorandum on Advancing the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons Around the World , the United States is making significant investments to uphold dignity, equality and respect for transgender persons globally.  For example, USAID supports the Global Barometer for Transgender Rights and the LGBT Global Acceptance Index which track progress and setbacks to protecting transgender lives around the world.  The Department of Health and Human Services through the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief supports inclusive health care services for transgender individuals, enabling health clinics to provide care to the transgender community. And through the Department of State’s Global Equality Fund , local transgender rights organizations receive support to document human rights violations and provide critical legal assistance to community members.  
• Establishing the White House Gender Policy Council to Advance Gender Equity and Equality.  President Biden signed an  Executive Order  establishing the White House Gender Policy Council to advance gender equity and equality across the whole of the government, including by addressing barriers faced by LGBTQ+ people, in particular transgender women and girls, across our country.  

Supporting transgender leaders and public servants

• Making the Federal government a model employer for transgender public servants. President Biden signed an  Executive Order  which takes historic new steps to ensure the Federal government is a model employer for all employees – including transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary employees. The Executive Order charges agencies with building inclusive cultures for transgender employees by: expanding the availability of gender-neutral facilities in Federal buildings; ensuring that employee services support transgender employees who wish to legally, medically or socially transition; advancing the use of non-binary gender markers and pronouns in Federal employment processes; and expanding access to gender-affirming care and inclusive health benefits.
• Appointing historic transgender leaders. The Biden-Harris Administration includes barrier-breaking LGBTQI+ leaders, including Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Rachel Levine, who is the first openly transgender person ever confirmed by the U.S. Senate. In October, she was also named a four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, becoming the first openly transgender person to hold that rank in any of the country’s uniformed services. Over 14 percent of Biden-Harris Administration appointees identify as LGBTQI+.

Advancing visibility for transgender Americans

• Issuing the First White House Proclamation for Transgender Day of Visibility.  On March 31, 2021 President Biden became the first U.S. President to issue a  proclamation  commemorating Transgender Day of Visibility.  
• Hosting a White House Virtual Convening on Transgender Equality.  In June, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki hosted a first-of-its-kind  national conversation  on equality for transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary Americans.
• Releasing a toolkit on equality and inclusion for transgender Americans.  The White House released a new  toolkit  with best practices for advancing inclusion, opportunity, and safety for transgender Americans.
• Establishing a National Pulse Memorial. On June 25, 2021, President Biden signed H.R. 49 into law to designate the National Pulse Memorial. As the President acknowledged in his statement on the fifth anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting, we must acknowledge gun violence’s particular impact on LGBTQ+ communities across our nation, and we must drive out hate and inequities that contribute to the epidemic of violence and murder against transgender women – especially transgender women of color. As the President has said, Pulse Nightclub is hallowed ground.

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ACLU sues Indiana Department of Correction over new law banning gender-affirming surgeries

A federal lawsuit filed monday claims the new law violates the eighth and fourteenth amendments., by: casey smith - august 28, 2023 12:07 pm.

A new Indiana law that prevents prisoners from using state or federal dollars for gender-affirming sexual reassignment surgery is the subject of a federal lawsuit filed Monday. (Getty Images)

A new Indiana law that prohibits gender-affirming sexual reassignment surgery for inmates is at the heart of a federal lawsuit filed Monday, which claims the state’s correctional agency denied the procedure to a transgender woman who is currently incarcerated. 

The legal challenge was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana against the Indiana Department of Correction (DOC) by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Indiana.

The DOC’s denial of the surgery is the result of a law passed during the 2023 legislative session, which bans state and federal dollars from being used for gender-affirming sexual reassignment surgery for offenders imprisoned in Indiana.

“The DOC cannot deny necessary treatment to incarcerated people simply on the basis that they are transgender. To do so is a form of discrimination,” said ACLU of Indiana Legal Director Ken Falk in a statement. “Gender-affirming care is life-saving care. If the legislature can deny a form of healthcare arbitrarily, they could just as easily deny other lifesaving treatments to people who are incarcerated.” 

DOC did not immediately return a request for comment.

Seeking out treatment

Autumn Cordellioné is an adult transgender female prisoner confined in the Branchville Correctional Facility, an all-male institution within the DOC, according to the lawsuit. State records indicate Cordellioné is serving a 55-year murder sentence.

Cordellioné has identified as female since she was six years old, the lawsuit continues.

In 2020, while incarcerated, she was diagnosed with gender dysphoria and was prescribed a female hormone and a testosterone blocker, both of which she has “consistently been prescribed and taken since that time.” 

The medications have altered her body “such that she is feminine in appearance.” The lawsuit said Cordellioné also lives as a woman to the extent possible in a prison designated to house only men. She has been permitted to obtain bras, underwear, make up, and form-fitting clothing, according to court documents.

Although the hormones have helped, Cordellioné said she continues to experience serious depression and anxiety.

Cordellioné claimed in the lawsuit that long before her diagnosis, she suffered from depression and anxiety caused by her gender dysphoria, “and by her recognition that she is a woman trapped in a man’s body.”

That caused her to engage in self-harm and attempt suicide, the lawsuit said, “because she could not stand the fact that her sex at birth fails to match the fact that she is a woman and cannot tolerate her male body.”

The lawsuit maintains that gender-affirming surgery for Cordellioné is medically necessary so that her physical appearance aligns with her gender identity.

Story continues below.

“Despite the receipt of hormonal therapy, she continues to suffer the serious negative symptoms of gender dysphoria. Specifically, her genitals remain a source of extreme and continuing distress, which is getting worse. The very sight of her genitals causes her to have great anxiety. She has soiled herself rather than use the toilet because of the stress of seeing her genitals,” lawyers wrote in the lawsuit. “Her gender dysphoria and the continuing debilitating symptoms that she suffers because of it represents a serious medical need that must be treated.”

Cordellioné is seeking an orchiectomy to remove her testes and a vaginoplasty to construct a vagina.

Without the surgery, transgender women “may resort to attempting auto-castration in order to alleviate their distress,” the lawsuit says.

New law prohibits gender-affirming surgeries

Cordellioné has repeatedly requested gender affirmation surgery but was denied by DOC. Lawyers said she has fully exhausted the DOC’s grievance system.

Monday’s lawsuit claims the new law violates the Eighth Amendment, on the basis that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled denial of necessary medical care for incarcerated individuals is a violation of the Constitution’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. 

The ACLU argues that medical care related to transgender patients “has been found by every reputable medical organization to be necessary and even lifesaving.” 

Additionally, the lawsuit claims the new law violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. 

“Some Indiana legislators are introducing more and more radical agendas, often pushed by misinformation and out-of-state extremists,” said Katie Blair, ACLU of Indiana’s director of advocacy and public policy, in a statement. “These legislators are not only ignoring their constituents’ values, they are often ignoring legal precedent and opting to pass laws that openly infringe on Hoosiers’ protected rights. It is not uncommon for us to file a lawsuit or two at the end of each legislative session, but the number of lawsuits we have had to file as a result of harmful legislation passed during the 2023 legislative session is particularly alarming.”

Now, Cordellioné is asking a judge to issue an injunction, allowing her to receive gender-affirming surgery. Ultimately, the lawsuit seeks to strike down the law in whole on the basis that it’s unconstitutional and discriminatory.

Before the law took effect July 1, those incarcerated within DOC facilities, such as state prisons, were able to undergo transition-related procedures. A DOC spokesperson said that no inmates had done so yet, however.

Republican lawmakers who supported the bill said they want to protect taxpayers from paying for an “unnecessary” procedure.

Democrats and LGBTQ advocates have consistently pushed back, holding that the ban is not about saving state resources, but rather, is part of a “hateful” GOP-backed agenda to enact anti-transgender legislation.

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Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. AP and Getty images may not be republished. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.

Casey Smith

A lifelong Hoosier, Casey Smith previously reported on the Indiana Legislature for The Associated Press. Internationally, she has reported on water quality across South America. She holds a master’s degree in investigative reporting and narrative science writing from the University of California/Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. She previously earned degrees in journalism, anthropology and Spanish from Ball State University, where she now serves as an instructor of journalism.

Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom , the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

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American College of Pediatricians issues fiery statement condemning child gender transition

A coalition of pediatricians, health policy groups and conservative organizations is calling on medical professionals to stop promoting transgender medical treatments for children.

The American College of Pediatricians (ACP) and allied groups styling themselves as "Doctors Protecting Children" have published a declaration urging mainstream American medical associations like the American Academy of Pediatrics to abandon support for so-called "gender-affirming care" for transgender youths.

"As physicians, together with nurses, psychotherapists and behavioral health clinicians, other health professionals, scientists, researchers, and public health and policy professionals, we have serious concerns about the physical and mental health effects of the current protocols promoted for the care of children and adolescents in the United States who express discomfort with their biological sex," the declaration states.

Affirming that sex is a biological characteristic and that medical decisions "should not be based upon an individual's thoughts and feelings," including their self-professed "gender identity," the groups assert that what is currently accepted as best practice treatments for gender dysphoria is actually harmful for patients. Their view is disputed by the larger medical community, which has established that gender is a social construct, not an inborn biological realty, and that validation and affirmation of a person's internal self-identity are in their best interest.

‘GENDER-AFFIRMING’ TREATMENTS DON'T BENEFIT YOUTH, SAYS PEDITRICIANS GROUP: ‘IRREVERSIBLE CONSEQUENCES’

The American Medical Association (AMA), for instance, states on its website that "improving access to gender-affirming care is an important means of improving health outcomes for the transgender population."

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"Receipt of gender-affirming care has been linked to dramatically reduced rates of suicide attempts, decreased rates of depression and anxiety , decreased substance use, improved HIV medication adherence and reduced rates of harmful self-prescribed hormone use," the APA claims.

The federal government, through the Department of Health and Human Services, also supports transgender medical procedures for children and adolescents, calling it a "supportive form of health care that may include medical, surgical, mental health and non-medical services for transgender and nonbinary people."

"Research demonstrates that gender-affirming care improves the mental health and overall well-being of gender-diverse children and adolescents," the Office of Population Affairs (OASH) at HHS has said.

However, several European countries, including the U.K., Sweden, Finland, Norway and France, have pushed back on the use of puberty blockers and sex reassignment surgery for children and adolescents. The U.K. last year, for instance, announced a rollback on the availability of hormone treatments, limiting them to clinical trials exclusively.

TRANS CHILDREN WHO TOOK PUBERTY-BLOCKING DRUGS HAD MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, UK STUDY FOUND

In contrast to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) standards of care for transsexual, transgender and gender-nonconforming people, Doctors Protecting Children argues that permitting children to socially transition before puberty does not improve their mental health and social well-being outcomes.

The declaration cites various studies to support its claims, including the Cass Review, a controversial independent report commissioned by the United Kingdom's National Health Service that documented practices and care for children reporting gender identity disorders.

Named for its primary author, Dr. Hilary Cass , the 388-page review found medical professionals reported "no guidance, no evidence, no training" regarding gender disorders and were "afraid" to discuss the topic. It concluded that evidence supporting transgender medical treatments for children and adolescents was "remarkably weak."

The Cass Review has been criticized by WPATH and transgender rights groups, which claim it ignored recent evidence that supports transgender medical procedures as beneficial for transgender minors and made "assumptions about transgender children and adolescents which are outdated and untrue, which then form the basis of harmful interventions."

EXPOSING THE TRANS AGENDA AIMED AT OUR KIDS: FAITH LEADER REVEALS HOW PARENTS CAN KEEP CHILDREN SAFE

Doctors Protecting Children said the Cass Review and related research from the University of York "further demonstrate the failure of the WPATH, American Academy of Pediatrics and Endocrine Society protocols."

The coalition argues that research shows there is a lack of evidence that social transition in childhood has any positive or negative mental health outcomes; that puberty blockers succeed in suppressing secondary sex characteristics but demonstrate "no changes in gender dysphoria or body satisfaction"; and that there is insufficient research on the long-term effects of cross-sex hormone therapies to determine if they are beneficial or harmful.

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"Psychotherapy for underlying mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and autism, as well as prior emotional trauma or abuse should be the first line of treatment for these vulnerable children experiencing discomfort with their biological sex," Doctors Protecting Children states.

The coalition calls on the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society, the Pediatric Endocrine Society, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to "follow the science and their European professional colleagues and immediately stop the promotion of social affirmation, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries for children and adolescents who experience distress over their biological sex (emphasis original)."

"It is time that these American medical institutions follow the science and the lead of our European professional colleagues and cease to promote protocols that harm children, including the promotion of social affirmation, puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and surgeries for children and adolescents who experience distress over their biological sex," said Dr. Jill Simons, pediatrician and executive director of the American College of Pediatricians.

AAP, the Endocrine Society, the Pediatric Endocrine Society, AMA, APA and AACAP did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

More than a dozen Republican-led states, including Texas, have already acted to ban or limit the use of puberty blockers on minors, with fierce opposition from American medical groups.

Fox News Digital's Melissa Rudy, Anders Hagstrom and Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health .

Original article source: American College of Pediatricians issues fiery statement condemning child gender transition

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The stomach-churning notes accused gilgo killer rex heuermann kept about grisly murders — including morbid ‘lessons learned’.

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Accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann kept a stomach-churning “planning document” mapping out his grisly slayings — which even included a chilling “Things to Remember” section and a morbid “Lessons Learned” section, officials revealed.

A computer “allocated space” file that Heuermann allegedly tried to delete laid out a gruesome road map of the vicious murders of six sex workers dating to 1993 — including the decapitation and mutilation of two victims newly tied to the hulking Long Island dad, Suffolk County prosecutors said Thursday.

In one disturbing notation, Heuermann allegedly indicated he planned to keep killing, prosecutors said.

“The GIlgo Homicide Task Force members believe these references to ‘next time’ indicate Heuermann’s prior experience and what changes to implement moving forward,” the DA’s filing said.

The revelation came as the DA’s office slapped Heuermann with new charges in the 1993 slaying and mutilation of Sandra Costilla and decapitation and dismemberment of Jessica Taylor in 2003 — on top of the pending felony charges he already faced in the deaths of the women known as the “Gilgo Four.”

Who were the Gilgo Beach victims?

Suspected serial killer Rex Heuermann — a New York City architect and married dad of two — was arrested in connection with the  long-unsolved Gilgo Beach murders . The arrest is tied to the so-called “Gilgo Four,” women found wrapped in burlap within days of each other in late 2010.

The years-long investigation that led to the arrest revolved around the  discovery of more than 10 sets of human remains  along Ocean Parkway near Gilgo Beach in Suffolk County between December 2010 and April 2011.

Most victims were petite female sex workers with green or hazel eyes. But there were also two exceptions: a 2-year-old girl and a young Asian man.

Melissa Barthelemy, 24

• Barthelemy was a sex worker who lived in the Unionport section of the Bronx and dreamed of one day opening her own beauty salon. She was last seen alive in her basement apartment on Underhill Avenue on July 12, 2009. Heuermann was charged for Barthelemy’s murder in July 2023.

Maureen Brainard-Barnes , 25

• Brainard-Barnes was living in Norwich, Connecticut. She went missing after taking an Amtrak train from New London, Connecticut, to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan on July 6, 2007. Her remains were found in December 2010. Heuermann was charged for Brainard-Barnes’ murder in January 2024.

Amber Lynn Costello , 27

• Costello, 27, was a sex worker and heroin addict who lived in West Babylon, New York, at a home with a woman and two men. She advertised on Craigslist and Backpage to support her and her roommates’ drug habits. Costello was found on December 13, 2010, after having been last seen leaving her home September 2, 2010. Heuermann was charged for Costello’s murder in July 2023.

Megan Waterman , 22

• Waterman, a 22-year-old mom of one, was last seen on June 6, 2010. She lived in Scarborough, Maine, and earned a living as an escort. She was last seen by her family boarding a New York-bound Concord Trailways bus in Maine. Her body was found on December 13, 2010, on the north side of Ocean Parkway, near Gilgo Beach. Heuermann was charged for Waterman’s murder in July 2023.

Jessica Taylor , 20

• Remains belonging to Jessica Taylor, a 20-year-old woman working as an escort in New York City, were found in a wooded area in Manorville on July 26, 2003. Her additional remains — initially labeled “Jane Doe No. 5” — were discovered on March 29, 2011, along Ocean Parkway.

Valerie Mack , 24

• Valerie Mack was 24 years old and living in Philadelphia when she went missing. She worked as an escort, using the alias “Melissa Taylor.” Relatives last saw Mack in the spring or summer of 2000 in Port Republic, New Jersey, but she was never reported as missing to the police. Her partial skeletal remains were found in Manorville in September 2000 but were initially known as “Jane Doe No. 6.” More bones were found on April 4, 2011, along Ocean Parkway.

Unidentified Asian man

• The skeletal remains of a yet-to-be-identified Asian man were found along Ocean Parkway on April 4, 2011. It is estimated that the man was between 17 and 23 years old at the time of his death. He was approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall with bad teeth.

‘Peaches’ and her daughter

• An African American woman’s partial remains were discovered in Hempstead Lake State Park back in 1997, and she had become known as “Peaches” because of a bitten tattoo of a peach on her left breast. On April 4, 2011, police uncovered the remains of a toddler, who was about 2 years old at the time of her death. DNA testing confirmed that one of the skeletons was that of the 2-year-old girl’s mother, “Peaches.”

Karen Vergata

• A victim previously referred to as Jane Doe No. 7 has been identified as 34-year-old Manhattan woman Karen Vergata. Vergata is believed to have disappeared around Feb. 14, 1996; two months later, her legs were found in a plastic bag at a park near Fire Island’s Blue Point Beach. At the time of her disappearance, Vergata was believed to have been working as an escort. Two sets of Vergata’s remains were identified in August 2023.

Shannan Gilbert , 23

• Gilbert was a Craigslist escort who lived in Jersey City, traveled with her driver Michael Pak from Manhattan to meet a client, Joseph Brewer, at his home in the Oak Beach Association on the morning of May 1, 2010. She spoke with two neighbors before disappearing. Her body was discovered in a marsh near Oak Beach — about half a mile from where she was last seen alive — on December 13, 2011.

Jessica Taylor, 20

• Taylor, a 20-year-old woman working as an escort in New York City, were found in a wooded area in Manorville on July 26, 2003. Her additional remains — initially labeled “Jane Doe No. 5” — were discovered on March 29, 2011, along Ocean Parkway.

Sandra Costilla

• Costilla was murdered in 1993 but had not been included among the so-called Gilgo Beach victims — until now. Investigators suspected convicted serial killer John Bittrolff in Costilla’s death, but he was never charged in her slaying — which remains one of several unsolved Long Island murders.

According to a bail application filed by prosecutors Thursday, Heuermann maintained a secret digital record titled “HK2002-2004” on his computer since at least 2000, keeping precise notes on the murders.

The digital document was broken up into specific sections like “Problems,” “Supplies,” “TGR,” which prosecutors said are believed to be potential targets, and “DS,” allegedly for “dump sites.”

The sick how-to file notes that “small is good” for potential victims, and includes a three-part section for “Pre-Prep,” “Prep” and “Post-Event,” the Suffolk DA’s court document said.

“The HK planning document continues to further expound on preparatory measures such as specific ‘recon’ steps taken,” including “packaging [a body] for transport,” prosecutors said.

One section notes to “remove head and hands,” which the DA’s office said is consistent with the remains of Taylor and another Gilgo body, Valerie Mack, which has not been officially tied to Heuermann.

Also included is a section reminding the accused killer to “remove ID marks [tatoos] [sic],” which is consistent with Taylor’s remains, which had “linear injuries,” particularly “around where Ms. Taylor’s tattoo had been located, which investigators believe was intended to inhibit the identification” of the victim.

Finally, Heuermann allegedly kept a “Things to Remember” section, which detailed twisted reminders such as to “hit harder” for “next time” and to use heavier rope because the “light rope broke under [stress of being tightened].”

“Hit harder too many hit to take down,” the planning document says, according to prosecutors.

“Consider a hit to the face or neck next time for take down.”

In addition, Heuermann opines on the importance of sleep to avoid “problems” and increase what he refers to as “play time,” prosecutors said.

Also in that section are notations for “push pins to hang drop clothes from ceiling” and “not tape,” and notes on “sound travel” — indicating a preference for committing crimes indoors, the DA said.

According to prosecutors, the HK file “points to Heuermann’s self-education and ‘homework.'”

Heuermann, a 60-year-old architect from Massapequa Park with offices in Midtown Manhattan, is charged with killing a half-dozen sex workers over the past three decades.

The murders of the victims — Taylor, 20, Megan Waterman, 22, Melissa Barthelemy, 24, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25, Amber Lynn Costello, 27, and Costilla, 28 — remained unsolved for decades until the slayings were reopened in 2022 and led to Heuermann’s arrest in July.

Costilla, who disappeared in 1993, had not previously been tied to the other bodies found along Ocean Parkway, where six other bodies were found, cases that remain unsolved.

Costilla was initially believed to be tied to convicted serial killer John Bittrolff, but the documents filed Thursday by prosecutors said her DNA did not match him.

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Gilgo Beach murders: A timeline of the investigation

A suspect was arrested nearly 13 years after the discovery of the first victim.

Police have called the Gilgo Beach murders "one of the most consequential homicide investigations" in Long Island's history.

The search for missing sex worker Shannan Gilbert led to the grisly discovery of 10 other bodies on a stretch of beach along the island's South Shore.

Now, nearly 13 years after the first victim was discovered, a suspect has been arrested in connection with the case.

New York City architect Rex Heuermann has been charged with the murders of Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman and Amber Costello, whose bodies were found covered in burlap in December 2010, according to court records.

MORE: Gilgo Beach investigators comb unsolved murders for potential ties to suspect

Heuermann, 59, a married father of two, was later charged in the death of a fourth victim, Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who was also found that month, according to the court document.

The four victims have become known as the "Gilgo Four"; the Craigslist escorts were found along the beach about 500 feet from each other, and all died by homicidal violence, according to officials.

In June 2024, the case took an even more shocking turn when Heuermann was charged with two more murders, including one dating back to 1993, well before the others were killed, and whose remains were located in Southampton, an hour east of Gilgo Beach.

Here's a timeline of the investigation.

July 9, 2007

Brainard-Barnes, 25, is last seen alive in New York City, according to prosecutors.

July 10, 2009

Barthelemy, 24, is last seen alive in New York City, according to prosecutors.

May 1, 2010

Gilbert, 23, goes missing after fleeing from a client's home in Oak Beach, near Gilgo Beach, according to police. Her disappearance prompts several searches in the area.

June 6, 2010

Waterman, 22, is last seen alive at the Holiday Inn in Hauppauge, New York, according to prosecutors.

Sept. 2, 2010

Costello, 27, is last seen alive at her home in West Babylon, New York, according to prosecutors.

Dec. 11, 2010

An officer conducting a search for Gilbert with his police K9 along Ocean Parkway in Gilgo Beach -- near her last known location -- discovers a set of human remains that are later identified to be those of Barthelemy, police said.

Dec. 13, 2010

During a search of the area, police find the remains of Brainard-Barnes, Waterman and Costello within a quarter mile of where Barthelemy's remains were recovered, police said.

MORE: How investigators say they connected the dots that led to Gilgo Beach murder arrest

March 29, 2011

Amid the continued search for Gilbert, police find partial skeletal remains several miles east of where the Gilgo Beach Four were found belonging to Jessica Taylor, a 20-year-old sex worker. Other remains from Taylor were previously discovered in Manorville, in eastern Long Island, in July 2003.

April 4, 2011

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Police find three sets of remains along Ocean Parkway while searching for Gilbert.

The remains of Valerie Mack, a 24-year-old escort who disappeared while living in Philadelphia, are found about a mile and a half east of Taylor's remains and a little over 2 miles east of the Gilgo Four. Mack's partial remains were previously discovered in Manorville in September 2000, and police have suggested there may be a connection to Taylor's remains.

The remains of an unidentified female toddler are also located in the same area.

The remains of an unidentified man are also discovered closer to the remains of the Gilgo Four. Authorities said the person was about 17 to 23 years old, Asian, and had died five to 10 years before being discovered.

April 11, 2011

Two sets of remains are located off of Ocean Parkway in Nassau County, seven miles west of Gilgo Beach.

One set of remains is determined to be the mother of the female toddler discovered on April 4, 2011. The mother’s partial remains were first discovered in 1997 in Hempstead Lake State Park.

The second set, known as Jane Doe Seven, is confirmed to belong to an unidentified victim whose remains were located on Fire Island in 1996.

Dec. 13, 2011

Gilbert's remains are found in marshland near Oak Beach. Her death is later ruled as an accidental drowning, though her family maintains they believe she was murdered.

January 2022

The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office creates a task force to conduct a comprehensive review of evidence in the investigation.

March 14, 2022

Heuermann first comes up as a suspect in the investigation, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. Heuermann was tracked through his car, a Chevrolet Avalanche, according to court documents. A witness to Costello's disappearance reported seeing a Chevrolet Avalanche at Costello's home, court records stated.

July 13, 2023

Heuermann is arrested in Manhattan at his midtown office. Investigators matched DNA from hair recovered from the burlap used to wrap Waterman's body to leftover pizza crust Heuermann threw into a Manhattan garbage can in January 2023, according to court documents.

Detectives also tracked Heuermann through cellphone records, according to court records. Tierney said cellphone mapping led investigators to zero in on areas in midtown Manhattan and Massapequa Park, where Heuermann lives.

MORE: Suspected Gilgo Beach killer appeared 'traumatized' after arrest: Defense attorney

July 14, 2023

Defense attorney Michael Brown enters a not guilty plea on Heuermann's behalf at his arraignment for three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree murder. Heuermann was ordered held on no bail.

Aug. 4, 2023

Authorities announce they have identified Jane Doe No. 7, whose remains were first located on Fire Island in 1996, as 34-year-old Karen Vergata. More of her remains were found on April 11, 2011, on Long Island's Tobay Beach.

There are no charges at this time, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney says.

June 6, 2024

Heuermann is charged with two more murders after investigators spent months combing through evidence taken from his family home and following searches of a wooded area in Manorville.

He is charged with the 2003 murder of Taylor, whose remains were found on Long Island in Gilgo Beach in March 2011, and in Manorville in July 2003, and the 1993 murder of Sandra Costilla, whose remains were found in North Sea, Long Island, in 1993, according to court documents.

DNA, including a hair found on a drape under Taylor's body, ties Heuermann to both murders, according to prosecutors.

Costilla's murder was initially suspected to have been the work of a different killer, John Bittrolff, but advanced DNA now points to Heuermann, prosecutors said.

ABC News' Aaron Katersky, Jon Haworth, Emily Shapiro, Josh Margolin, Mark Osborne and Mark Crudele contributed to this report.

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NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Inside the life of the world’s first transgender celebrity

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The tarmac was illuminated by flashes as the tall blonde actress delicately stepped from the plane at New York ’s International Airport.

Photographers jostled for a good position, clambering over each other for the perfect shot. Newsreel cameras whirred while journalists yelled out questions.

‘I thought for a moment that I had entered Dante’s inferno,’ Christine Jorgensen later recalled. ‘I learned later it was the largest assemblage of press representatives in the history of the airport.’

It was a simple letter sent from Christine to her parents, Florence and George, that had ignited the media circus. ‘Nature made a mistake, which I have had corrected, and I am now your daughter’, the 26-year-old had explained. Christine had become the first known person from the United States to have sex reassignment surgery – and now the whole world knew.

Born on May 30, 1926, Christine enjoyed a pleasant family upbringing in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx. There was no broken home, no absent father, no early trauma –  all theories favoured by psychoanalysts at the time who wanted to know ‘why’ people felt uncertain in their gender or sexuality. 

Christine was drafted into the US Army in 1945. Her work was mostly administrative until a deployment to Camp Polk, Louisiana for rigorous training. But after a nasty bout of bronchitis and pneumonia, she was medically discharged on December 5, 1946. In the years that followed, Christine tried, and failed, to forge a career in Hollywood, worked a ‘dull’ grocery store job and explored photography.

All the while, feeling trapped in the wrong body.

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Christine later wrote: ‘Many times, I’ve been accused of living a masquerade as a female, but if I have not already made it clear I will state again that, in my view, the real masquerade would have been to continue in my former state. That, to me, would have been living the lie.

‘I didn’t want to continue in my present state if there was even the remotest possibility of finding further help, no matter where in the world I would have to go to find it.’

It was in 1948, that Christine discovered an article about hormone experiments. After further research, she found out doctors in Europe could – potentially – help her transform into a woman. 

By April 1950, she had saved up enough for a one-way-ticket to a new life. 

In Denmark, renowned scientist Dr Christian Hamburger agreed to help Christine, then 26, transition for free through the use of hormone injections , plastic surgery and psychiatric support. 

In a lengthy letter to her parents in 1952, Christine wrote: ‘I have changed very much, but I want you to know that I am an extremely happy person. I do so want you to like me very much and not be hurt because I did not tell you sooner.’ 

But Christine needn’thave worried, as her parents – albeit concerned – simply replied: ‘Letter and pictures received. We love you more than ever. Mom and dad.’ 

Christine and her family never intended the world to know about her transition after she returned to the USA. But, according to Christine’s autobiography, her mother was left shaken by a ‘threatening’ journalist on her doorstep who had heard about her daughter’s trip to Denmark. Florence had shared her letter from Christine in good faith, in an attempt to make the article more truthful.

On December 1, 1952, the headline in the New York Daily News screamed ‘GI BECOMES A WOMAN, DEAR MUM AND DAD SON WROTE, I HAVE NOW BECOME YOUR DAUGHTER.’

The response was instantaneous, with extracts from Christine’s letter and photos spreading across other newspapers. The Korean War was raging, George VI had died and Queen Elizabeth II had taken to the throne, but the journalists – and readers –  craved more of Christine.

In her autobiography, she would reflect: ‘Almost invariably when my name was mentioned, it carried the added phrase, “an ex-GI.” There seemed to be something fascinating about the fact that I’d been in the army, and I wonder now if that paradox wasn’t a large contributing factor in the mountains of publicity that followed.

‘Apparently, I was going to have to get used to the idea of being stared at and inspected. People were going to be interested and inquisitive, I decided, and I would just have to accept it as logical, if I was going to function in the world at all.’

Amid the bombastic coverage, there were opportunities sent via letter and telegram. Christine was offered radio appearances, club invites and theatre performances. Soon enough, her Hollywood dream came true.

On February 15, 1953 – upon returning from a film premier in Denmark – she was met with an army of reporters and photographers at New York’s International Airport. The Danish royal family were on the same flight, but the press only had eyes for Christine.

‘Where did you get the fur coat?’ ‘Will you marry?’ ‘Do you think Europeans understand sex problems better than Americans?’ were among the questions hurled at Christine. She had become an instant celebrity, known for her directness and polished wit, but also for taking control of her own story and her work to advocate for transgender people .

Throughout her career – starring in films and in nightclubs in Europe and America – the actress gave lectures at colleges and universities about her experience. In 1952, she was crowned Woman of the Year by the Scandinavian Society in New York as she continued to act, sing and perform across the world.

Her 1967 autobiography Christine Jorgensen: A Personal Autobiography sold almost 450,000 copies. Three years later, the book was adapted into a drama film: The Christine Jorgensen Story starring John Hansen in the lead role.

In the preface to her book, the actress explained that she hoped to reach ‘boys and girls who grow up knowing they will not fit into the pattern of life that is expected of them; men and women who struggle to adjust to sex roles unsuited to them; and the intrepid ones who, like myself, must take drastic steps to remedy what they find intolerable.’

Christine added: ‘The answer to the problem must not lie in sleeping pills and suicides that look like accidents, or in jail sentences, but rather in life and the freedom to live it.’

By the early 1980s, the celebrity had retired from public life and settled in Laguna Beach, California. She never married, despite several high-profile relationships. In 1959, she had planned to wed typist Howard J. Knox but, because Christina’s birth certificate listed her as male, this couldn’t be.

Christine died of bladder and lung cancer on May 3, 1989, at age 62. 

Her story helped a generation of young trans people accept themselves, and led to further grants and research in the medical world. But the actress always maintained an aura of humility.

A few years before her death, Christine travelled back to Denmark to meet with Dr Hamburger, the man who had made her transition a reality. There, she told a journalist: ‘We didn’t start the sexual revolution but I think we gave it a good kick in the pants!’

'Nature made a mistake, which I have had corrected'

Click below to enlarge the first page of a letter written by Christine Jorgensen in Denmark to her parents in the Bronx, New York, in 1952.

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Convicted Murderer Seeking Sex Change Surgery In Prison Sues Mass. Correction Commissioner

August 29, 2018 / 8:20 PM EDT / CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS/AP) — A convicted killer is suing the Massachusetts prisons commissioner in her latest legal effort to receive a sex change operation at taxpayer expense. On Wednesday, Michelle Kosilek filed the lawsuit against Correction Commissioner Thomas Turco in federal court in Boston last week.

The lawsuit asks a judge to order Turco to immediately transfer Kosilek from a men's prison in Norfolk to the state's women's prison in Framingham, and to have the Correction Department's medical provider schedule her for "gender-affirming" surgery.

A state prisons spokesman declined to comment.

Kosilek was known as Robert Kosilek when she was convicted in 1990 of murdering her wife, Cheryl.

The U.S. Supreme Court in 2015 declined to hear Kosilek's appeal of a lower court ruling that rejected the requested surgery.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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