November 10, 2012
Trans Prisoners Fight Abuse
Trans prisoners and queer-rights groups protest unfair treatment behind bars.
BY Toshio Meronek
http://inthesetimes.com/article/13990/trans_prisoners_fight_abuse"Imagine being told, 'You have no right to be who you are,' " says Faith Phillips, remarking on her first days in prison. The transition was even harder for Phillips than it is for most prisoners: Phillips, a transgender (trans) woman, was held in a men's prison.
According to recent studies, 16-33 percent of trans people have spent time behind bars, compared with less than 4 percent of the general U.S. population. Another statistic provides a clue as to why: 26 percent of transgender people report being fired because of their gender identity. Forced into the underground economy, some enter prison for "survival crimes" such as sex work. Once inside, people who don't conform to the gender regulations—both written and unwritten—face a form of punishment far harsher than their original sentences.
Growing up in California's San Bernardino County, Phillips was abused by her transphobic father and was one of the few people of color in her community. When she landed in central California's Avenal State Prison at 21, she witnessed the same ill treatment of trans people she'd experienced as a child. So, in March 2008, when a queer prisoner was threatened with a transfer to a ward where he knew he'd be unsafe, she staged a protest, refusing to leave the prison yard when the correctional officers (COs) announced that it was time.
