Trans Prisoners Sue Georgia Over Gender-Affirming Care Ban

In 2025, significant legal battles have emerged surrounding transgender rights, particularly focusing on healthcare and discrimination protections. In Georgia, transgender prisoners have filed a lawsuit challenging SB 185, a law signed by Gov. Brian Kemp that prohibits gender-affirming care such as hormone therapy, citing violations of the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment and equal protection guarantees; the law also forbids inmates from paying out of pocket for these treatments. Advocates highlight the catastrophic consequences of forcing trans inmates to de-transition, emphasizing that these measures disregard serious medical needs in favor of political agendas. Concurrently, a coalition of state attorneys general has sued President Trump and the Department of Justice over Executive Order 14,187 and related DOJ directives targeting gender-affirming care by classifying it as female genital mutilation, seeking to block enforcement actions against medical providers. Additionally, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission faces a lawsuit accusing it of mishandling transgender discrimination complaints, with advocacy groups calling for reforms to ensure effective protection of transgender workers' rights. These legal challenges underscore ongoing conflicts over transgender rights in incarceration, healthcare, and employment under the current administration.