[JURIST] Attorneys for a Maryland transgender inmate said Thursday that their client had won [opinion, PDF] relief under the Prison Rape Elimination Act [text], marking the first such successful challenge. The inmate, Sandy Brown, claimed that guards called her “it” and “some kind of animal” while encouraging her to kill herself. Brown was segregated form the rest of the prison population for 66 days and said, “[the guard] told me I should kill myself, and that I’m not a woman, that I’ll never be her.” The administrative law judge found that the prison did not properly train employees on how to treat transgender inmates. The judge stated the guards created a hostile environment for the inmate from the time of her arrival until departure. An attorney for Brown said [press release, PDF], “[w]e believe this case creates a framework for enforcing the national standards that transgender people who are incarcerated in other states and their advocates can follow to help to ensure that others do not have to endure the pain and trauma Ms. Brown experienced.”

Transgender rights remain a controversial issue throughout the world. US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter in July announced [JURIST report] a comprehensive plan to move in the direction of allowing transgender troops to serve in the military. Also in July Ireland passed the Gender Recognition Bill [JURIST report] to allow transgender people over 18 legal recognition of their preferred gender and changes in their birth certificate. In November Malaysia’s Court of Appeals in Putrajaya struck down [JURIST report] an anti-crossdressing law in a challenge filed by three transgender women. In May 2013 Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal ruled [JURIST report] that a law prohibiting a transgender woman from marrying her boyfriend was invalid under the Chinese constitution. Canadian lawmakers approved a bill [JURIST report] in March of 2013 that would outlaw discrimination against transgender individuals.