Federal Judge Permanently Orders Georgia to Continue Hormone Therapy for Transgender Inmates

ATLANTA, GA – A federal judge has delivered a major ruling for transgender rights, permanently ordering the Georgia prison system to continue providing medically necessary hormone therapy to transgender inmates. U.S. District Judge Victoria Marie Calvert ruled that a state law attempting to ban the treatment for prisoners violated the Eighth Amendment’s protection against cruel and unusual punishment.

The decision is a significant victory for plaintiffs, who argued that denying or withdrawing this care constitutes “grossly inadequate care” for gender dysphoria, risking severe psychological and physical harm.

Key Takeaways from the Ruling

• Eighth Amendment Violation: Judge Calvert’s permanent injunction blocks a portion of a Georgia law enacted in May that banned the use of state money for hormone therapy, gender-transition surgery, and other forms of gender-affirming care for inmates.

The judge found that a blanket denial of hormone therapy violates the constitutional rights of incarcerated individuals.

• Gender Dysphoria as a Serious Medical Need: The court explicitly stated, “the court finds that there is no genuine dispute of fact that gender dysphoria is a serious medical need.”
• Mandate for Treatment: The order requires the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) to continue providing hormone therapy to inmates who were already receiving it and to allow other inmates who are medically diagnosed as needing it to begin treatment.
• Medical, Not Political, Decisions: The ruling emphasized that healthcare decisions for prisoners must be “made dispassionately, by physicians, based on individual determinations of medical need, and for reasons beyond the fact that the prisoners are prisoners.”

Background of the Case

The lawsuit was filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights on behalf of transgender inmates shortly after the law—which banned the state from spending money on gender dysphoria care—was enacted and signed by Governor Brian Kemp in May.

Prison officials had reportedly begun plans to gradually end hormone therapy by October for those already receiving it.

Attorneys representing the plaintiffs hailed the decision as a powerful reminder that the Constitution applies to everyone, including transgender individuals in custody, who are entitled to medically necessary healthcare.

State Plans to Appeal

Despite the permanent injunction, officials from the state of Georgia have already announced plans to appeal the ruling. This indicates that the legal battle over the rights of transgender inmates to receive gender-affirming care is far from over.

For the approximately 340 individuals in GDC custody diagnosed with gender dysphoria, the ruling provides immediate, critical relief, ensuring their access to physician-prescribed medical treatment while the case moves through the appellate courts.

The decision reinforces a long-standing legal principle that prison systems must provide adequate medical care to inmates.