Federal Court Rules In Favor of Forcibly Detransitioning Transgender Inmates In Florida

Incarcerated transgender people were a major topic of debate in the 2024 elections. Now, a judge ruling on a Florida policy shows how cruel abandoning trans people in prison can be.

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In the final days of 2024, a federal judge in Florida’s Northern District issued a ruling rejecting a preliminary injunction against a new Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) policy targeting transgender inmates. This policy, introduced on September 30, 2024, frames gender dysphoria as a “short-term delusion,” restricting access to gender-affirming care, permitting hormones only in “rare instances” deemed constitutionally necessary. The FDC bulletin also suggests psychotropic medications and psychotherapy as sufficient alternatives to medical transition, ignoring widely accepted medical guidelines.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), representing plaintiff Reiyn Keohane, challenged the policy, arguing it strips transgender inmates of essential care and dignity. Under the policy, trans women in Florida prisons are denied access to gender-aligned clothing and grooming standards, with confiscation of canteen items and head shaving mandated for non-compliance. According to the ACLU’s October 2024 complaint, inmates face invasive examinations to assess breast size for bra eligibility, subjecting them to dehumanizing treatment under the guise of policy enforcement. The ACLU sought immediate relief, filing for a preliminary injunction to halt these measures.

In his 23-page decision, Judge Allen Winsor, a Trump appointee with a record of anti-LGBTQ+ rulings, dismissed the injunction request. Winsor’s opinion misgendered Keohane, describing her as “a male who self-identifies as a woman.” He argued that the FDC’s policy does not constitute a blanket ban on hormone therapy, despite evidence showing the policy effectively forces the detransition of hundreds of inmates. Winsor claimed that Keohane, having navigated extensive bureaucratic hurdles to preserve her care, faced no “imminent injury” and therefore did not meet the criteria for emergency relief.

Regarding social accommodations, Winsor acknowledged the harm but dismissed its significance, arguing that denying long hair and gender-appropriate clothing does not rise to the level of “grossly incompetent” care or an Eighth Amendment violation. Misrepresenting the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) guidelines, Winsor claimed that social transition is not medically necessary and suggested psychotherapy as an adequate alternative. This echoes debunked “conversion therapy” approaches that lack scientific evidence and have been shown to increase risks of self-harm and suicide among transgender individuals.

Winsor’s reasoning reflects broader anti-transgender rhetoric typically used in debates about transgender youth but now increasingly applied to adults. The “wait and see” approach for minors, which relies on therapy to suppress gender dysphoria, has long been debunked as ineffective and harmful conversion therapy. Evidence consistently shows that medically necessary care for transgender individuals leads to overwhelmingly positive outcomes, with detransition rates remaining exceedingly low. Laws restricting transgender healthcare, by contrast, have been linked to significant increases in suicide attempts among transgender populations.

Advocates warn that such policies represent the tip of the iceberg in escalating attacks on transgender rights. Restrictions on transgender youth healthcare have already expanded to include adults, with proposed bans in several states targeting individuals up to age 26. In the United Kingdom, healthcare providers face growing hostility, leading many to withdraw services under pressure. These global trends underscore a concerted effort to dismantle trans rights at every level.

In the U.S., Republicans have made transgender people a central focus, advancing policies to restrict anti-discrimination protections in schools, sports, and the military. With the recent passage of the first anti-LGBTQ+ federal law in 30 years—restricting military healthcare coverage for transgender dependents—attacks are reaching levels unseen in decades. House Speaker Mike Johnson has pledged to combat “social justice” in federal institutions, doubling down on these efforts under the guise of “common sense.”