Trans people in WA prisons say gender-affirming care lacks, despite court-backed improvement plan Eilís O'Neill August 07, 2025 / 4:09 pm

Content warning: This story contains descriptions of suicide and self-harm.

When Alexandra first arrived at a Washington prison nearly a decade ago, she’d already made up her mind to come out as transgender.

“I had decided that I wasn’t going to be able to survive my time in prison if I had to continue lying to myself and everybody else about who I was,” she said.

Alexandra is her middle name. KUOW has agreed not to publish her full name due to safety concerns.

She said getting what she needed — clothing, hormone therapy, surgery, and safe housing free from harassment and assault — wasn’t easy. While she had theoretical access to much of it,

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