Inmate Request for Sex Change Denied

(San Francisco, California) A 42-year-old inmate at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, Lyralisa Stevens, requested the State of California pay for costly surgery to remove his junk.

With a feminized physique, Stevens claimed there was a constant threat of sexual assault in men's prison.

Stevens had argued that hormone therapy is no longer adequate to combat the emotional distress caused by her disorder, making surgery the medically necessary next step.

She also wanted her penis and testicles removed so corrections authorities, who decide prison placement according to an inmate's genitalia, would be compelled to transfer her to the relative safety of a women's lockup.

Yesterday, the 1st District Court of Appeals in San Francisco denied Stevens' request saying reasonable safety is achievable in a men's prison if Stevens has his own cell.