Staff Reports
California Spends Millions on Inmate Sex Changes
Inmates in California claiming to be transgender have been racking up quite the bill, and it’s the taxpayers who are footing it. A fresh report shows that over the past six years, these inmates have cost the state over $4 million for their sex changes and other procedures. The Washington Free Beacon uncovered that a program was set up in 2017 that gives these prisoners, including even those on death row, whatever “gender-affirming care” they desire. This has led to 157 inmates undergoing various procedures, such as breast implants and laser hair removal.
Taxpayers Cover Millions in 'No Limits' Prisoner Trans Care, Including for Death Row Inmates: Report via @WestJournalism https://t.co/ToyZv4MP0y
— pat maddin (@PatrioticGrams) November 10, 2023
The Integrated Gender Affirming Healthcare Program is seeking a hefty budget increase of $2,187,000 for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. The funds are meant to cover the cost of two clinical social workers, a health program specialist, a nursing consultant, two senior psychiatrists, and a full-time doctor and surgeon. Attorney Harmeet Dhillon, who has represented inmates seeking basic care, has voiced concerns about the program. She argues that while people who identify as transgender deserve respect and dignity, it doesn’t mean taxpayers should foot the bill for experimental and scientifically unjustified surgeries.
The Free Beacon’s report reveals that even basic dental treatments such as root canals for back teeth are not provided for inmates, yet between 2017 and July 2023, the program funded at least 157 procedures, including $2.5 million on vaginoplasties for 35 male inmates. The cost of breast implants for 11 male prisoners totaled over $180,000, while facial feminization surgeries for two men set the state back $184,141. And it doesn’t end there – more than $1 million was spent on breast removal surgeries for 40 female inmates.
California’s decisions on transgender inmates don’t stop at surgeries. In 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 132 into law to support increased care for transgender inmates. This includes the ability for transgender inmates to request transfers to prisons that house the gender with which they identify. Since 2021, 47 men have transferred to women’s prisons under this policy.
But not everyone is on board with this approach. Inmate Krystal Gonzalez is suing to overturn the policy, claiming she was sexually abused by a man who identified as female and referred to by guards as a “transgender woman with a penis.” Gonzalez insists that the prison’s stance on the matter only adds to her distress, as she doesn’t believe they can properly assess her grievance if they maintain that women can have male anatomy.
So, whether it’s the exorbitant cost to taxpayers or the unresolved challenges faced by inmates, California’s approach to transgender inmates is raising big questions. And with the future of The Western Journal in jeopardy, it’s clear that the need for truth in these challenging times is more important than ever. Support from readers like you is crucial to keep The Western Journal’s mission alive.
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