A Massachusetts federal appeals court upheld a previous ruling that will allow a transgender inmate in prison for life to undergo a tax-funded sex change operation.
Three judges on the panel for the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit issued the ruling, according to the Boston Globe.
"Having carefully considered the relevant law and the extensive factual record, we affirm the judgment of the district court," the ruling read.
Convicted murderer Michelle Kosilek, nee Robert, was found guilty of strangling and killing his wife Cheryl in 1990 in Mansfield. Michelle now lives in an all-male prison as a woman, where she receives regular hormone treatments, the Associated Press reported.
Kosilek's request for sex reassignment surgery was first denied by prison authorities. The inmate, who is currently serving a life sentence, then sued the state's Department of Correction.
At the time of the 2012 lawsuit, United States District Judge Mark Wolf ruled that the surgery was the sole treatment for Kosilek's gender identity disorder. Officials from the prison tried appealing the ruling, but the court upheld the initial decision on Friday.
It is still unclear whether 64-year-old Kosilek will have surgery done any time soon. But the ruling itself is one of the most monumental aspects of the case, according to LGBT activist group member Jenifer Levi, who spoke with the Boston Globe.
"Like the district court before it, the First Circuit has affirmed that constitutional rights belong to everyone," the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders director told the Globe. "The Appeals Court affirmed that the District Court properly found that Michelle Kosilek needed this lifesaving medical care. If she needed treatment for cancer or heart disease, this case would never have wound up in court."
