California prisons see surge in requests for gender-affirming care

The number of California prisoners requesting gender-affirming health care more than doubled last year.
California was the first state to set standards that would grant gender affirmation surgery to state prison inmates.
A 2021 law requires that every person upon entering prison be asked gender-specific questions to determine whether they should be housed in a men’s or women’s facility.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation found that the number of transgender, intersex and nonbinary inmates consistently grew each year, rising to 1,617 last year.
The agency sought a small boost in funding — $2.2 million — to provide the mandated care.