Are you kidding me?
I just read an online news article about a prison convict in Massachusetts, I believe it was, who has sued the state's Corrections Department because they won't allow him to have a sex change operation (this is/was a man who was convicted of murdering his wife--his explanation was it was self-defense, because she spilled boiling tea on his genitals...funny that he was so attached to them then, and now he wants to get rid of them...)
He's already undergoing medical treatment for a gender identity disorder...at taxpayer expense. The ongoing litigation has cost the state $50,000 or more (the surgery would have cost $20,000). Some would say that they should have taken the cheaper route and paid for the surgery.
That's the short-sighted option. The state keeps pointing out that the operation would make the convict a security problem. They couldn't keep him/her in a mens' prison at that point...or at a womens' prison, either. He/She would be a constant target for sexual assault in either location. And if you think the cost of litigation is costly, just imagine what it would cost the state to deal with a lawsuit for lack of proper protection because he/she was raped for being transgendered (don't even try and tell me you're not seeing that image in your mind already...if a JUDGE can file a civil suit for $50 million-plus because his pants got lost at the dry-cleaners, you KNOW that kind of a lawsuit would have lawyers drooling at the chance to get involved.)
The convict claims that the hormone replacement, laser hair removal, and other treatments have failed to alleviate his/her depression and anxiety. I hate to sound callous, but SO WHAT? You're in prison, bud...it's an inherently anxious and depressing environment (my brother spent four and a half years in prison, I've heard more than enough to make that assessment). Suck it up...
One of the prison officials pointed out that this argument is tantamount to trying to blackmail the prison system, by threatening to commit suicide if the surgery is not permitted. And their standard policy is that they don't negotiate for threats of suicide.
The Swift-esque pragmatist in me can't help but say, "Give him/her a sharp razor...we'll see just how serious he/she is about this surgery..."
Disclaimer: No, I don't actually feel that strongly about it. But I do find it asinine that the surgery is even being considered. Let all the legal groups that want to litigate these cases do the noble thing...instead of making the state pay for litigation, and pouring your own resources into each case, just pay for the damn surgery to be done. Frankly, at that point, I don't care...but I find myself more than a little infuriated that someone thinks the state should be forced to pay for a surgery like that. Taxpayers have better places for their money to be spent.
I just read an online news article about a prison convict in Massachusetts, I believe it was, who has sued the state's Corrections Department because they won't allow him to have a sex change operation (this is/was a man who was convicted of murdering his wife--his explanation was it was self-defense, because she spilled boiling tea on his genitals...funny that he was so attached to them then, and now he wants to get rid of them...)
He's already undergoing medical treatment for a gender identity disorder...at taxpayer expense. The ongoing litigation has cost the state $50,000 or more (the surgery would have cost $20,000). Some would say that they should have taken the cheaper route and paid for the surgery.
That's the short-sighted option. The state keeps pointing out that the operation would make the convict a security problem. They couldn't keep him/her in a mens' prison at that point...or at a womens' prison, either. He/She would be a constant target for sexual assault in either location. And if you think the cost of litigation is costly, just imagine what it would cost the state to deal with a lawsuit for lack of proper protection because he/she was raped for being transgendered (don't even try and tell me you're not seeing that image in your mind already...if a JUDGE can file a civil suit for $50 million-plus because his pants got lost at the dry-cleaners, you KNOW that kind of a lawsuit would have lawyers drooling at the chance to get involved.)
The convict claims that the hormone replacement, laser hair removal, and other treatments have failed to alleviate his/her depression and anxiety. I hate to sound callous, but SO WHAT? You're in prison, bud...it's an inherently anxious and depressing environment (my brother spent four and a half years in prison, I've heard more than enough to make that assessment). Suck it up...
One of the prison officials pointed out that this argument is tantamount to trying to blackmail the prison system, by threatening to commit suicide if the surgery is not permitted. And their standard policy is that they don't negotiate for threats of suicide.
The Swift-esque pragmatist in me can't help but say, "Give him/her a sharp razor...we'll see just how serious he/she is about this surgery..."
Disclaimer: No, I don't actually feel that strongly about it. But I do find it asinine that the surgery is even being considered. Let all the legal groups that want to litigate these cases do the noble thing...instead of making the state pay for litigation, and pouring your own resources into each case, just pay for the damn surgery to be done. Frankly, at that point, I don't care...but I find myself more than a little infuriated that someone thinks the state should be forced to pay for a surgery like that. Taxpayers have better places for their money to be spent.
posted by Curtis at 12:22 AM
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