Seems Sensible: Lawsuit Would Prevent Transgender Inmates From Choosing Housing Location

(Sacramento, CA) — A California bill that gives transgender, nonbinary and intersex inmates the right to choose housing based on their gender identity is currently under fire. The Women’s Liberation Front filed a lawsuit alleging that the bill is unconstitutional and puts the wellbeing of female inmates at risk. Transgender and LGBTQ+ advocates called the suit baseless and damaging. Under the bill enacted this year, 291 inmates at male facilities have requested to be moved to female facilities. A 2007 UC Irvine study found that the rate of sexual assault is 13 percent higher for transgender inmates. Advocates of the bill expect Attorney General Rob Bonta to act in their favor. Bonta has supported the participation of transgender athletes in school sports and banned government travel to states that enacted laws harmful to the LQBTQ+ community.