Transgender man speaks out against inmate's sex change ruling

BOSTON (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) A local transgender man is speaking out about a convicted killer's taxpayer-funded sex change operation.

The man, who asked to remain anonymous, was very open about sharing his opinion, He is coming to terms with the fact that the state will not pay for his re-assignment surgery. However, he cannot come to terms with a murderer getting the surgery paid for by his tax dollars and the tax dollars of other Mass. residents.

"He wants a free ride for something that I was refused," says the man.

This man took all the same steps as Kosilek. He received hormone injections and underwent psychotherapy, but he couldn't get Medicare or Medicaid to pay for the $20,000 gender reassignment surgery. After living for 10 years as a woman, he went back to living as a man.

He does believe that this is an elective surgery and not a necessary one so he's completely against Kosilek from receiving it while he's locked up.

"This gentleman happens to be in prison for killing his wife, and he wants to be a woman, so he wants to use the system to take care of himself! I say no, his punishment is due; his punishment is to be in prison for killing that woman, for life," he says.

The federal judge who ruled in favor of Kosilek's sex change cited his Eighth Amendment right. Judge Wolf felt it was cruel and unusual punishment to deny the surgery.

"If that be the case, then its cruel and unusual punishment to deny ME and how many other hundreds of girls who are gonna come out of the woodwork and say - we too want to be women, somebody's gotta pay for this," says the man. "I think the government is paying for too much already."

The state has already appealed that federal decision, which means Kosilek will remain a man for now.

This case could be decided in the U.S. Supreme Court and be precedent setting.

Cox Media Group