elton john and lead singer of the band rem michael stipe have joined forces calling for the equal rights of transgender inmates in response to allegations of mistreatment at a georgia prison ‘transgender women in male prisons have an equal right to protection from violence and abuse in prison, and yet they continue to face horrific injustices,’ according to a joint statement the musicians released tuesday last week, the us justice department said prison officials must treat an inmate’s gender identity condition just as they would treat any other medical or mental health condition following a february lawsuit from the southern poverty law center filed against georgia department of corrections officials on behalf of ashley diamond, a transgender woman allies: elton john and lead singer of rem michael stipe have joined forces calling for the equal rights of transgender inmates  prison officials must treat an inmate's gender identity condition just as they would treat any other medical or mental health condition, according to a justice department ruling in the case of transgender inmate ashley diamond  according to the lawsuit, prison officials did not provide sufficient treatment for 36 year old diamond’s gender dysphoria   a condition that causes a person to experience extreme distress because of a disconnect between the birth sex and gender identity the lawsuit also said diamond was without hormone treatment for three years and her body suffered as a result, and that she had been sexually assaulted and ridiculed in prison ‘more often than not, assaults in part go unreported because the perpetrators are prison guards, wardens and staff,’ said stipe and john, who founded the elton john aids foundation ‘this is outrageous, and the message it sends is horrific: that violence against and discrimination of trans people is not only allowed, but sanctioned’ both john, 68, and stipe, 55, are openly gay the frontman of rem is a long time supporter of the rocket man singer’s foundation in their statement, john and stipe applauded the justice department for coming out in support of ms diamond and for challenging the constitutionality of georgia’s policy of denying transgender inmates hormone treatments but the musicians argued that more steps must be taken to end the ‘culture of violence and discrimination’ ‘we urge the state of georgia to embrace desperately needed changes to their correctional system,’ the statement concluded last week, a judge ordered california’s corrections department to provide a transgender inmate with sex reassignment surgery it was the first time such an operation has been ordered in the state a photo of diamond compared to her department of corrections mugshot shows the drastic difference without maintaining treatment  the justice department filed a brief in ashley diamon's case last friday saying it's not taking a position on the accuracy of diamond's claims, but reminding prison officials that the eighth amendment of the us constitution requires them to provide inmates with individualized assessment and care for the condition department of corrections spokeswoman gwendolyn hogan wrote in an email that the agency doesn't comment on pending litigation while similar cases have been brought in other courts, justice department officials said this is the first time the agency has gotten involved in one of these cases that action signals this administration's commitment to protecting the interests of transgender people in this context and sends a message to state officials that the federal government has taken a clear position on the substantive legal issues in the case, said georgia state university law professor russell covey 'if georgia disagrees, that sort of holds out the possibility of some future legal conflict between the state and the federal government,' he said 'it's a kind of shot across the bow' diamond has identified as female since she was a child and began hormone therapy when she was 17, the southern poverty law center lawsuit says diamond says she has been subject to ridicule and even sexual assault while behind bars  that gave her full breasts, a feminine shape, softer skin and a feminine appearance only inmates identified as transgender during their initial intake screenings are eligible for gender dysphoria treatment under georgia department of corrections policy, but the personnel who do those screenings often aren't familiar with the condition, the lawsuit says despite having noticeable feminine physical characteristics and telling department staff she was transgender and receiving hormone therapy, diamond was not evaluated for gender dysphoria and wasn't referred for treatment and her hormone therapy was halted, the lawsuit says though medical personnel subsequently evaluated her and determined she had gender dysphoria and that hormone therapy and female gender expression were medically necessary, department officials refused to authorize the treatment, the lawsuit says so called freeze frame policies, that only allow inmates the level of treatment that they received before imprisonment and that allow no treatment for those who weren't initially classified as suffering from gender dysphoria are unconstitutional, the justice department brief says such policies violate the eighth amendment prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment without the hormone treatment for the past three years, diamond's body has suffered a painful physical transformation back to its masculine state and she has experienced severe mental anguish, the lawsuit says she has also been subject to ridicule by inmates and prison staff and has been sexually assaulted by inmates because she hasn't been offered safe accommodation, the lawsuit says diamond, 36, identifies as a female and has been on hormone therapy since she was 17  southern poverty law center staff attorney chinyere ezie said in an emailed statement friday that the justice department brief bolsters their arguments 'transgender inmates like ashley have a right to proper medical care,' ezie said 'they have a right to protection from violence and abuse and these rights are secured by the us constitution' other courts have ordered hormones, psychotherapy and other treatments for transgender inmates a federal judge on thursday ordered california's corrections department to provide a transgender inmate with sex reassignment surgery, the first time such an operation has been ordered in the state it was only the second time anywhere in the country that a judge issued an injunction directing a state prison system to provide the surgery, said ilona turner, legal director at the transgender law center in oakland the previous order in a massachusetts case was overturned last year and is being appealed to the us supreme court
john georgia department of corrections february ashley diamond age 17 stipe diamond southern poverty law center 36
john and stipe issued a joint statement calling for equal rights of transgender inmates  'transgender women in male prisons have an equal right to protection from violence and abuse in prison, and yet they continue to face horrific injustices,' statement read in part  southern poverty law center in february filed sued georgia department of corrections on behalf of ashley diamond, a transgender woman  diamond, 36, identifies as a woman and has been taking hormones since age 17  claims lack of medical attention has harmed her transition process 