Court: Kansas did not violate transgender inmate’s rights

WICHITA, Kan. – A federal appeals court says Kansas prison officials aren’t deliberately indifferent to a transgender inmate who says her medical treatment is so poor it violates her constitutional rights.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld a lower court ruling in favour of prison officials in a dispute with Michelle Renee Lamb.

Lamb was born male but has identified as female since a young age. She receives hormone treatment, testosterone-blocking medication and weekly counselling sessions in prison. But she wants greater doses of hormones and surgery.

The court noted a prison doctor testified that Lamb’s existing treatment had “proven beneficial” and believed surgery was unnecessary. The court argued that even if the doctor were wrong, prison officials couldn’t have been deliberately indifferent by following a medical doctor’s advice.