DOJ Reviews Housing Policies For Trans Inmates
Trump administration advised housing trans inmates based on “biological sex”
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
Just days after announcing
an investigation into
the treatment of incarcerated
LGBTQ individuals,
the Department of Justice said it
would re-evaluate of Trump-era
policies limiting the housing rights
of transgender inmates in prison.
In a statement to Gay City
News, a Justice Department
spokesperson confi rmed a report
by the Associated Press that the
agency is committed to offering
all inmates safe, gender-affi rming
housing.
“The Bureau of Prisons is in
the process of reviewing the current
version of its policy regarding
transgender inmates, which was
developed in order to meet the
community standard of medical
and mental health care, appropriately
manage and support the
The Department of Justice is reviewing its policies on housing trans inmates.
offenders, and meet legal requirements
as determined by case law,
statutes, and federal regulations,”
a DOJ spokesperson said in a
REUTERS/ANDREW KELLY
statement.
Under the Trump administration,
the Transgender Offender
Manual advised the committee to
PRISONS
house transgender inmates based
on their “biological sex” instead of
their gender identity. According to
the manual, it is only “in rare cases”
that trans inmates are housed
in facilities that align with their
gender.
The DOJ is reviewing this process
as the Bureau of Prisons’
Transgender Executive Council
considers housing for Emily
Claire Hari, a transgender woman
who is serving life in prison
for the 2017 bombing of the Dar
al-Farooq (DAF) Islamic Center
in Bloomington, Minnesota. Four
years ago, Hari created the terrorist
militia group “The White
Rabbits,” which set off deadly explosives
and defaced a mosque
during weekly prayers. While no
one was injured or killed in the
attack, Hari’s actions triggered
a wave of panic and fear in the
Muslim community.
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