The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a lawsuit against the state of Indiana for banning sex change surgeries for inmates on behalf of a man who murdered his 11-month-old stepdaughter.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Jonathan C. Richardson, who is serving 55 years in prison for the 2001 murder.
“The lawsuit alleges that the law enacted in April violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment and the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause,” according to a report from the Associated Press.
“Indiana Code § 11-10-3-3.5(a), denies medically necessary surgical care, including vaginoplasties and orchiectomies, to transgender prisoners because of their status as transgender persons,” the lawsuit claims. “This unwarranted and intentional discrimination against Plaintiff and other transgender prisoners, because of their transgender status, violates equal protection.”
The ACLU referred to sex change surgeries as “life-saving” medical care.
The Daily Caller News Foundation reports, “Indiana prosecutors charged Richardson with the murder of his 11-month-old stepdaughter in October 2002, after police discovered evidence that he had strangled her to death when he was left to watch her alone in September 2001, according to court documents. He initially claimed that he had found the girl dead in her crib, but later told an officer that, ‘Well all I know is I killed the little f***ing b***h.’”
Richardson has been in a male prison since 2002, but has a clemency hearing in September. He now uses the name “Autumn Cordellioné” and has been on hormone replacement therapy since 2020.
“Richardson applied for sex-change documents in August 2022, but the court denied his request after he failed to appear for a hearing regarding the case, according to court records,” the Daily Caller report says. “He allegedly attempted suicide, engages in self-harm and experiences severe emotional distress because he cannot transition, the lawsuit claimed.”
