D.C. trans activists await new Department of Corrections director
February 28, 2011 - 01:00 PM
By Amanda Hess
http://www.tbd.com/blogs/amanda-hess/2011/02/d-c-trans-activists-await-new-department-of-corrections-director-9000.html (http://www.tbd.com/blogs/amanda-hess/2011/02/d-c-trans-activists-await-new-department-of-corrections-director-9000.html)
The criminal justice system can be a dangerous place for trans people. When gender-nonconforming people face jail time, they also risk being housed in the wrong cells, sexually harassed or raped, and denied medical care based on their gender identity. Two years ago, advocates for D.C.'s trans community won a minor victory when the District passed progressive new standards for the treatment of trans people in the D.C. jail. Whether those standards are being fully enforced is an open question.