The Systematic Abuse of Transgender People in Prison
by Maia Spotts September 10, 2010 06:04 AM (PT)
http://gayrights.change.org/blog/view/the_systematic_abuse_of_transgender_people_in_prisonAbove and beyond the enormous societal difficulties faced by transgender men and women in this country, entering the criminal justice system is a hell beyond words. There is an undeniable and depressing trend of juvenile gender non-conformity leading to expulsion from the family, which leaves kids languishing in the foster care system, which inevitably leads to homelessness and the need to engage in "survival crimes," the result of which is almost always some form of criminal prosecution. The domino effect is truly appalling.
I sat in on a brilliant panel at the Lavender Law conference regarding the prosecution of LGBT people. What I learned is that, as Autumn Sandeen over at Pam's Houseblend discovered, jail can be a place of extreme physical and emotional degradation for transgender people, mostly women, where they are forced to gender conform, and are denied equal access to medical treatment.
