Elizabeth Warren Addresses The Anti-Trans Blemish On Her Record But Does Not Apologize

Transgender prisoners have a right to receive medically necessary treatment, her exploratory committee said.

Because she’s one of the first Democrats to officially throw her hat in the ring for the 2020 presidential race, Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) record has been under a lot of scrutiny over the past week.

When it comes to LGBTQ issues, she has been a very consistent ally, with one exception, which her campaign has addressed for the first time says Think Progress.

In 2012, when Warren was facing off against Republican incumbent Scott Brown, a transgender inmate was suing the Massachusetts prison system after being denied transition medical care. Michelle Kosilek had fought for decades to receive the gender confirmation surgery her doctors said was medically necessary, but the Massachusetts Department of Corrections refused to provide it. This was despite the fact that she had been treated for depression and multiple attempts to self-harm her genitalia.

In September of that year, a federal judge ruled that Kosilek should receive the surgery she had been prescribed. Because it was one of the first major cases of a transgender prisoner seeking medical care, the ruling became a very hot topic. Both Warren and Brown were asked about it on the campaign trail, and both criticized the ruling. Brown called it an “outrageous abuse of taxpayer dollars,” and Warren similarly said in a radio interview, “I have to say, I don’t think it’s a good use of taxpayer dollars.”

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