ACLU et. al. to Holder: Stop Prison Rape
by rserven
Fri May 14, 2010 at 04:06:21 PM PDT

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/5/14/866554/-ACLU-et.-al.-to-Holder:Stop-Prison-Rape

The ACLU, the National Center for Transgender Equality, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, The Transgender Law Center, and Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund have joined in the drafting of a letter (pdf) in support of the national standards for the prevention, detection, response, and monitoring of sexual abuse as recommended (pdf) by the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission.  Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex people are at heightened risk of being abused when in detention, both at the hands of other inmates and at the hands of facility staff.

This has come up before, being the outcome of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003, which passed both the House and Senate by unanimous consent and was signed into law on September 4, 2003, albeit accompanied by a signing statement.

I served hard time in a hardcore prison. The only way to avoid being raped was to be sexualy available. Even so I eventualy was raped when I was separated from my 'pack'. Ever watch Oz? It's alot like that but there are even more pyscho dangerous people in the real prisons. Joining a gang is almost manditory.
I was lucky in that the prison admin took me seriously and prosecuted the man who raped me. But I am certain the only reason I got justice is because I was a young White male being raped by an older Hispanic man. Being white was the deciding factor on whether I got justice or not. I am positive of it. Because durring my stay in the penatentary I witnessed dozens of rapes (and some murders) and almost all went unprosecuted. The population was about 75% Hispanic and when they got raped nothing was done about it.
As a transwoman I am terrified of ever going to prison again. Now I am no longer a valued white male, to the prison society I am just anouther pervert ->-bleeped-<-. That is scary!