CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
An inmate in Massachusetts who claims he is a woman trapped in a man's body should receive treatment for gender identity disorder but cannot force the state to pay for a sex-change operation, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. Michelle Kosilek, formerly known as Robert Kosilek, was convicted in 1993 of strangling his wife. He claimed he was being denied adequate medical care in violation of the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits cruel and unusual punishment and prohibits unnecessary infliction of pain on a prisoner. His lawsuit against the department of correction was heard in federal court during a nonjury trial in February. Kosilek, 53, who has legally changed his name, claims he suffers continuous depression, anxiety, and a high level of stress as a result of being denied treatment. U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf ruled Wednesday that although Kosilek had proved he has a serious medical condition gender identity disorder that has not been adequately treated, he had not proved that correction commissioner Michael Maloney had shown "deliberate indifference." Wolf ordered Maloney to allow medical professionals to evaluate and recommend treatment for Kosilek, including, at a minimum, psychotherapy. If therapy does not appear to alleviate Kosilek's depression, Maloney should also consider allowing Kosilek to receive female hormones, he said.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
21+ steamy photos of Scotland’s finest gay men in Elska Glasgow
February 01 2024 10:07 PM
More Than 50 of Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Moms
May 12 2024 11:44 AM
Conjoined twins Lori Schappell and trans man George Schappell dead at 62
April 27 2024 6:13 PM
Latest Stories
Joe Biden sends queer lawmakers & LGBTQ+ allies to Paris Olympics
July 24 2024 12:08 PM
Kamala Harris rides wave of Democratic energy at kickoff event in Wisconsin
July 23 2024 3:36 PM
'Devastated:' A six-week abortion ban will go into effect in Iowa next week
July 23 2024 2:28 PM
Four hours, 44,000 Black women, and one Zoom call
July 23 2024 2:17 PM
Record 1.2 million people show out for Cologne’s Pride parade
July 23 2024 10:51 AM
Here's how far-right activist Leonard Leo helped fund Bud Light boycott
July 23 2024 10:27 AM
Elon Musk’s comments about his trans daughter prove why she doesn’t speak to him
July 23 2024 9:16 AM