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Transgender murderer denied sex change surgery in prison

Michelle Kosilek has been living as a woman since shortly after she shot dead her wife in 1990.

THE US SUPREME Court has rejected an appeal from a convicted murderer in Massachusetts who had been seeking taxpayer-funded sex-reassignment surgery in prison.

Michelle Kosilek, who was born Robert, shot her wife Cheryl Kosilek in 1990, and is currently serving a life sentence.

The justices of the Supreme Court – the highest court of appeal in the United States – today allowed a lower-court ruling to stand.

That ruling, in federal appeals court in Boston, overturned a landmark 2012 order that the state of Massachusetts must provide the sex-reassignment surgery.

Transgender Rights Michelle Kosilek, then named Robert, is taken into custody in 1990. AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

Kosilek has been living as a woman for more than 20 years, and receiving hormone treatment at a medium-security prison in Norfolk, Massachusetts.

She has waged a lengthy fight for the surgery she says is necessary to relieve the mental anguish caused by gender-identity disorder.

The Massachusetts Department of Corrections, however, lists Kosilek’s gender as “Male.”

Courts throughout the US have found that prisons must evaluate transgender inmates to determine their health care needs, but most have ordered hormone treatments and psychotherapy, rather than surgery.

Contains reporting by the Associated Press.

Read: Transgender man says he would have to be sterilised before getting gender surgery>

Read: ‘Nobody should be forced to get a divorce to have their gender recognised’>

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20 Comments
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    Mute Joe
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    May 4th 2015, 7:40 PM

    Good, right decision. That would be an outrageous use of tax dollars.

    451
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    Mute Suzie Sunsine
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    May 4th 2015, 8:44 PM

    We’ve done things like that here , on a much smaller scale but I remember reading about that gang leader from the south side that had a scar on his lip sorted out for him while in prison because it knocked his confidence , poor thing .I mean it was his right to feel confident .

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    Mute Deco James Connolly
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    May 4th 2015, 7:45 PM

    Has the journal been hacked by Waterford Whispers .

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    Mute Derek Byrne
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    May 4th 2015, 7:43 PM

    Sure send him to Wheatfield.
    The Irish government will pick up the tab.

    122
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    Mute jenni
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    May 4th 2015, 9:57 PM

    This in jail stuff and benefitting from rights stuff has gone insane..and the pc police should shut up.
    If you’re in jail, its for a reason.
    Its not a hotel, there are no chambermaids and change of towels…you’re in there because you have caused harm to someone and their families.
    So put up and shut up, clean your own mess and clean your own toilet, us regular folk seem to be more than able.
    And now this…you’re in jail coz really you’re not the person you thought you were. So you were Mr hard when you went in on a 25-40 yrs punishment…but you’d like to change sex now. Wow.
    Well I agree with the courts…you cant just change your sexuality because of your crime or sentence. You do the sentence that fits.
    And lastly,
    There are much more really valuable persons in our society that should benefit from this discussion.

    107
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    Mute Mikhail ÓhÉineacháin
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    May 5th 2015, 12:27 AM

    So prison has nothing to do with rehabilitation then?

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    Mute Ana Nonymous
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    May 5th 2015, 8:22 AM

    Rehabilitation in a legal sense doesn’t include footing the bill for cosmetic or gender changing surgeries. Rehabilitation process refers to preparing the convict for a productive life upon release from prison. In this sense it is education and training, social skills, psychiatric counselling (if needed) general counselling and if necessary drugs counselling. With the amount of illegal contraband being removed from the Irish prison services on a regular basis you can see how interested in rehabilitation some of these prisoners are. Somebody showed me a Facebook comment of a friend of a friend of a friend of theirs recently recently welcoming some lad home from prison for the weekend, he was out on a session the whole weekend… That’s rehabilitation for you out to party on a Friday back in Monday! (His child’s mother giving out on the FB that he wouldn’t see his child that weekend boozing more important)

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    Mute paperboy
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    May 4th 2015, 7:45 PM

    He/she must get a lot of attention in prison…

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    Mute Alan Scott
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    May 4th 2015, 8:06 PM

    Definitely the right decision why should the tax payers of this Country fund his request

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    Mute potty o shea
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    May 4th 2015, 7:50 PM

    Some people really are effed up!

    50
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    Mute TheLoneHurler
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    May 4th 2015, 8:35 PM

    Ha ha ha
    Using the gay card here

    40
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    Mute James Joseph Superior Power
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    May 5th 2015, 1:19 AM

    What has the gay card got to do with anything?

    10
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    Mute Seán O'Ceallaghan
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    May 4th 2015, 8:24 PM

    It’s Interesting to see where the journal uses He or She depending on the context. Manning was referred as a she while Jenner was referred to as a He

    37
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    Mute Caoimhe Lynch
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    May 4th 2015, 10:42 PM

    Jenner said that he preferred the male pronouns, E’rybodys different yo! ✌️

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    Mute Tim Stephen Hendy
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    May 5th 2015, 7:25 AM

    I don’t know why he’s reported as having killed “her” wife, since she was a man at the time.

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    Mute sonny black
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    May 4th 2015, 7:48 PM

    Definitely the weirdest title ever.

    29
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    Mute Patrick
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    May 4th 2015, 8:15 PM

    What was the vote split in the court? What were the reasons given?

    13
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    Mute Paul Roche
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    May 5th 2015, 12:09 AM

    It also looks like this ruling means that being TG will not affect the assigned prison.

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    Mute Mikhail ÓhÉineacháin
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    May 5th 2015, 12:29 AM

    Ah transphobia,sure there’s nothing better to make you week for humanity

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    Mute Noel Cosgrave
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    May 5th 2015, 8:19 AM

    How is it transphobia to refuse to bill the taxpayer for gender reassignment surgery for a convicted murderer? Surely it is scelerophobia?

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