A three-judge panel of the Richmond, Virginia, based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit ruled on August 16 that people with a gender dysphoria diagnosis are considered to have a “disability” that entitles them to protection against discrimination under two federal statutes, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Vocational Rehabilitation Act. The 2-1 decision is the first in which a federal appeals court has found such individuals to be entitled … <Read More>
transgender inmates
Implementing the Prison Rape Elimination Act: Progress in Maryland for Transgender Inmates
Stephen T. Moyer, the Secretary of the Maryland Division of Public Safety and Correction Services, has accepted most of the recommendations by Administrative Law Judge Denise Oakes Shaffer, requiring the Division to implement key elements of the Prison Rape Elimination Act, a federal statute whose regulations address important issues concerning appropriate treatment for transgender inmates. Moyer’s August 17 action, responding to Judge Shaffer’s April 1, 2015, decision on the grievance filed by inmate Neon Brown, … <Read More>