Kesha Williams has been receiving hormone replacement therapy for more than 15 years. That ended when she was sent to a prison in Fairfax, Virginia, for aiding her boyfriend in the sale of illegal drugs. There, Williams, who is trans, has been housed alongside men, referred to as a man, and been regularly searched by men — all while largely being denied the gender-affirming care that she was receiving for nearly two decades.
That, according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, violates the Americans With Disabilities Act. In a landmark decision handed down this week, the appellate court ruled that gender dysphoria is a medical condition that deserves care and that conditions that affect trans people are protected.
