LGBTQ+ groups urge prisons not to stop gender-affirming care for trans inmates
Trevor Foley (Facebook/MissouriCorrections)
A number of community organisations, including the LGBTQ+ Faith Alliance of Greater St Louis, have urged Missouri prisons not to stop providing gender-affirming care for trans inmates.
PROMO, a Missouri organisation defending the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, alongside trans and non-binary Representative Wick Thomas, members of the LGBTQ+ Faith Alliance, a group of healthcare professionals, and members of Black & Pink, hosted a press conference after they were informed of at least two transgender inmates who were taken off their gender-affirming medication.
Jessica Hicklin was also part of the press conference. Hicklin is a transgender woman who was blocked from accessing hormone therapy while at the Potosi Correctional Center for male inmates in Missouri. A federal district court ruled that Hicklin should have her gender-affirming care resumed in May 2018. Hicklin was released in early 2022.
It came after House Bill 9, which included instructions that “no funds shall be expended for any cross-sex hormones, or gender transition surgery undertaken for the purpose of any gender transition”.
According to PROMO, Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC) director Trevor Foley informed a number of state senators, including Senator McCreery and Senator Patty Lewis, on 29 April that the ruling would not be enforced as it was “unenforceable and illegal”.
Despite this, PROMO say at least two trans inmates were taken off their medication which had been prescribed and deemed medically necessary as of 8 July.
They have now urged Foley to instruct care providers to continue prescribing gender-affirming care, or warned of legal consequences that may result in more costs to taxpayers.
What did PROMO say?
In a letter seen by PinkNews, PROMO told Foley: “We implore you to stop using the health and lives of transgender inmates as pawns in fabricated culture wars.”
They also wrote: “Your actions are both cruel and unusual, and thus unconstitutional, but even more so your actions are a death wish for transgender inmates as gender-affirming care for transgender inmates is life saving healthcare.”
PROMO accused Foley of sneaking through the ruling “because you know that it is a violent weaponisation of our state budget against an already vulnerable population”.
Senator Patty Lewis statement
Speaking about the situation, Senator Patty Lewis said: “No one should be denied the care and treatment prescribed to them by their physician. The administration’s attempt to legislate through the budget is also unconstitutional, as the Missouri Supreme Court ruled as recently as 2024 that doing so violates article III, section 23 of Missouri’s Constitution. The administration’s actions are unethical, illegal, and will certainly cost taxpayers through expensive litigation once again.”
LGBTQ+ Faith Alliance cite Bible passages
Members of the LGBTQ+ Faith Alliance of Greater St Louis wrote “with profound grief, moral urgency, and unwavering conviction” to Foley.
They said: “This decision will inflict physical, emotional, and spiritual harm on some of Missouri’s most vulnerable people. Gender-affirming care is not only medically recognised and evidence based, but for many, lifesaving healthcare.”
The letter went on to cite several quotes from the Bible, including Hebrews 13:3, which says: “Remember those who are in prison as though you were in prison with them.”
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