This article explains a case involving a man serving life in prison for murdering his wife, who wants a sex-change. He stated that he’s a “woman trapped inside a man’s body,” which has resulted in anxiety and depression. Besides the mental struggle she has dealt with due to her gender identity disorder, the physical aspect of her identity has caused her to fight for the Department of Corrections to pay for a sex-change surgery.
The question of whether or not criminals should be entitled to sex-change surgery has been a difficult one to answer due to the various opinions on the issue. Due to the expense of the surgery around $20,000, the corrections department and its outside health care provider have denied providing the surgery, but have allowed him treatment for gender identity disorder.
But treatment has not solved her depression, and still desires a sex-change. Is the corrections department committing cruel and unusual punishment by refusing the surgery, or should they deny a murderer the accessibility to a sex-change? This article shows the lack of acceptance and/or understanding of intersexuals in our society, and one of the issues that may result from it.