A federal judge has ordered Alaska’s prison system to reconsider a transgender woman’s request to undergo surgery after declaring a state policy on the issue is so restrictive that it violates the U.S. Constitution.

The order, issued Sept. 26, follows a seven-year legal battle by Emalee Wagoner, who has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria and is seeking gender confirming surgery (GCS) while in the custody of the Alaska Department of Corrections.

Gender dysphoria is a recognized medical diagnosis for people experiencing distress when their gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth.

Magistrate Judge Matthew Scoble wrote that there was evidence that the Department of Corrections had acted with “deliberate indifference” regarding Wagoner’s gender dysphoria, and violated the

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