Hundreds of transgender United States federal prisoners have been gripped by fear following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on his first day in office, mandating the transfer of transgender inmates to facilities aligned with their biological sex.
Lawyers have raised alarms about the potential dangers faced by transgender women who will now be moved to male prisons, warning of severe risks.
“It’s going to be incredibly dangerous,” attorney Moira Meltzer-Cohen told DailyMail.com. Meltzer-Cohen, who represents Donna Langan—a transgender woman serving a life sentence for bank robbery—expressed concerns about the safety of her client and others, fearing a potential “bloodbath.”
The executive order stipulates that the federal government will only recognise two sexes—male and female.
Therefore, access to intimate spaces such as prisons and shelters will now be determined strictly by biological sex rather than gender identity.
According to DailyMail.com, a federal public defender in Massachusetts highlighted the plight of a transgender inmate in Minnesota. Sandra Gant, the defender, described how the inmate was abruptly informed of the transfer, leaving her “terrified.”
“Her family reached out in a panic,” Gant said in a message circulated among public defenders. “As of this morning, she, along with others at FCI Waseca, have been segregated and told they are being processed out to a transfer centre and then to a men’s prison.”
Gant called for insights or assistance, particularly from organisations like the ACLU, to challenge the policy.
In addition to the changes in prison policy, Trump’s order rolled back various protections for transgender individuals. The directive bans federal funding for transition-related services and mandates the use of the term “sex” over “gender” in official documentation.
Federal agencies have also been instructed to stop funding initiatives promoting what the order terms “gender ideology.”
