ACLU Sues Oregon On Behalf of Transgender Inmate

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Oregon filed a civil lawsuit in federal courthouse in Portland on Monday against the Oregon Department of Corrections.

The suit, on behalf of Michelle Wright - a transgender woman who is currently a prisoner at Two Rivers Correctional Facility - charges that Wright is being denied essential medical care.

"The Oregon Department of Corrections is denying our client lifesaving care," said Mat dos Santos, legal director at the ACLU of Oregon.

The suit alleges that Wright has submitted nearly 100 requests for medical care that have been denied and that, as a result, she has attempted suicide several times and attempted to castrate herself.

Dr. Christina Milano, associate professor of family medicine at Oregon Health & Science University, said people with gender dysphoria experience extreme distress from their bodies being incongruent with their gender.

"When people feel misaligned with their bodies, it produces severe anxiety and depression, and in many cases, self-harm and suicidal thoughts," said Dr. Milano. "We know that competent, transgender-affirming care, in the form of therapy, hormones, and/or surgery, can be lifesaving for an individual who has gender dysphoria."

The department of correction has not yet responded to the suit.

Photo courtesy ACLU Oregon