What Is This Child Doing in Prison?

Source:NY Times
By: Harvey Fierstein

"You see, Jane can be violent. She has fought with other children and with staff members wherever she's been placed. But given her history, how could she survive by being anything but violent? Where, in her entire life, would this child have ever learned anything except to fight back? And how is placing her in an adult prison — where aggression, savagery and intimidation are the everyday tools needed to survive — going to help her heal?

It's not enough to recount the torment she has endured. If we want to stop the cycle of brutality, we have to ask why the heavens rained down on this child. I believe it is because Jane is transgender.

Jane was born a boy. She began exhibiting feminine characteristics from age 5, and by the time she was 9 she knew that she was, in fact, a girl. Born into a society where blending gender lines was unacceptable, where God and preachers condemn, Jane didn't have a chance."

"...shunned by decent society..."

Sorry I griited my teeth at this, but I was realy happy to see.
"The crime is ours" I belevie the article reffers to, "decent society" here towards the end aswell.

This poor person. I hate how people become blind to things that don't inconvenience them.
I was also happy, to see the offer to foster her.

Ps, if this post is not appropriate, by all means remove it. I'm still not sure of any etiquet envolved in replying to links and news.

By all means, comment away!

Thanks Grace for posting this.  It's just too sad. It's interesting how prisons have become the only answer to societal problems.  We can spend money on weapons, prisons, war on drugs, etc. but heaven forbid we invest in helping people.

This just makes me so mad. If anyone finds out an update to this story PLEASE let me know. I hope she gets released and can live a FAR better life than what has already happened to her.