The Oregon Department of Corrections (ODOC) needs to stop placing transgender women in men's prisons — before someone gets hurt.

A federal appeals court just ruled that Oregon can continue housing transgender women in men's facilities, overturning a lower court decision that would have required the state to place inmates based on gender identity. Records show about 90 percent of transgender women in Oregon's prison system are currently housed in men's facilities. Two transgender women sued the state in 2025 to change this, arguing it puts them at serious risk.

This isn't about politics. It's about basic safety. Housing transgender women alongside men in a prison setting creates real, documented danger of sexual and physical assault — a risk the plaintiffs' own attorney has raised directly. "We continue to believe that the current conditions place transgender women in ODOC custody at a serious risk of sexual and physical assault, and we intend to continue pursuing our clients' claims," said attorney John Burgess, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting.

The court's ruling means ODOC is no longer required to change its approach — but nothing stops the agency from doing the right thing on its own. Oregon officials already say they review each case individually. That review should mean transgender women are never placed somewhere they're known to be more likely to be assaulted, no matter what the courts allow.

No one should be exposed to greater risk of violence because a legal fight over policy technicalities is still working its way through appeal. ODOC has the power to protect these women right now.

Sign the petition to demand the Oregon Department of Corrections stop housing transgender women in men's prisons — before the next assault happens.