Federal judge orders sweeping reforms of treatment of transgender inmates in all Illinois prisons

A federal judge has mandated major reforms of the treatment of transgender inmates in all Illinois prisons, including an end to “mechanically assigning housing based on genitalia,” physical size or appearance, according to court documents.

The court order issued Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Rosenstengel comes in response to a 2018 class-action lawsuit filed against Illinois Department of Corrections officials on behalf of five incarcerated transgender women claiming inappropriate treatment of gender dysphoria, an intense distress due to a mismatch of biological sex and gender identity.