An executive order signed on Trump’s first day in office, is now being implemented defying legal challenges.

The order banning federal funds to be used for gender-affirming treatments and that trans women be housed in men’s detention centres is already being implemented despite numerous legal challenges, resulting in several federal court rulings that blocked its implementation, especially for women who were plaintiffs in related lawsuits.

Civil rights lawyers report that some transgender women are still being moved to male facilities. One such individual, 31-year-old Whitney, was transferred this week from a women’s facility to a men’s prison, where her records were altered to reflect a male identity.

In a statement, she described feeling punished “for existing,” adding that she was used as a political pawn.

Legal experts assert that this practice violates the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), which requires prisons to assess inmates’ risk of sexual assault and consider their LGBTQ+ status in housing decisions.

Internal Bureau of Prisons memos also indicate that officials are now denying trans women gender-appropriate clothing and requiring staff to use incorrect pronouns, further exacerbating their mistreatment.