To think it's taking the piss for a bloke on remand accused of double rape to decide he is a woman?

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/sex-gender-change-pomont-9141800.amp?client=ms-android-google

18

Yanbu

Aged 18, on remand accused of two rapes, decides he is actually a woman. Prison officials agree, female prison staff who now have to perform intimate searches are

Article seems to suggest that he will now be tried as a female, but my understanding was that rape was male specific, and therefore he couldn't?

Is it the new 'I was temporarily insane'?

Next we'll be hearing that the rapes were caused by his inner turmoil at not being able to live as his authentic self.

YANBU

It's awful and personally I think cis-men exploiting the trans movement is becoming a real problem. And it hurts actual trans people.

Words fail me

my understanding was that rape was male specific, and therefore he couldn't

It's penis specific, no? So unless he's going to argue he had a male vagina (which I have never heard of, as opposed to 'female penis'...), then I'm not sure he's getting off the hook that easily.

Though the comparison with temporary insanity defense is an interesting one. I was reading a book recently about people who used insanity defenses to avoid jail and as a consequence have actually spent more time locked up (in secure psychiatric units) than they would have if they'd been convicted and gone to prison.

Maybe we should tell every male prisoner who announces that they are trans, "Fantastic, good for you, we can book your gender reassignment surgery for Wednesday."

Yanbu. He is a man who raped people. He should be trialled as a man and he should be sent to a male prison. If I was a female prisoner I would not feel safe in the same environment as this man.

I think what's worrying is that it has just been accepted.

Prisoner wakes up one morning and identifies as female. Prisoner is immediately treated as transgender. Thankfully it looks like he has not been out in with women yet

It sounds like there is a bit of a ruction amongst the officers about it - will be interesting to see what happens if the union's get involved.

Well that's convienient isn't it

Dear god.

Not so much as the new 'I was temporarily insane' MadameDePomPom more 'Wow I've thought of a scam that's going to give me unlimited access to lots and lots of, often, vulnerable women'. And he appears to be getting away with it.

This has massive consequences.
I can't bear reading about this nonsense. I'm just so sad at how it's actually affecting women's lives and will affect our children's lives as it becomes more acceptable.

Careful there, don't you realise that any questioning of Trans issues of any kind is beyond the pale and likely to get you labelled as a TERF?

It's fucking ridiculous is what it is and THIS is why people are questioning the take over of women's spaces. This is not an isolated situation.

Yanbu - this is fucking ridiculous, horrible for the female prison staff and potentially dangerous for female prisoners if he's transferred to a female prison. No one really gives a shit about the actual females involved though yet again.

This kind of thing is damaging to people who are truly struggling with their gender and want to come out as either female or male.

Male rapist with functioning penis tries to inveigle his way into a women's prison by claiming he's actually a woman now, despite having never previously lived as a woman.

FFS, it's beyond parody

This kind of shit is terrifying.

For years a family member has identified as trans and just got on with life in a quiet, respectful way.

Now all these bloody idiots are using trans issues in this way and it just makes life harder for people like us.

This person will now be raked up in every fucking thread and debate there is as if they are some sort of spokesperson for trans issues

There needs to be a clear definition of transgender in law so we all know where we stand and people can't pull this kind of damaging shit anymore.

It's awful and personally I think cis-men exploiting the trans movement is becoming a real problem. And it hurts actual trans people.

Exactly this.
It is incredibly damaging for actual trans people. No one is going to take trans people seriously when things like this happen.

He should be told, ok we accept that you are a woman so we will bump you up the list to have your penis removed before you're placed into a woman's prison just in case your inner turmoil means you accidentally rape someone with your female penis.

There needs to be a clear definition of transgender in law so we all know where we stand and people can't pull this kind of damaging shit anymore.

The problem is, that it looks increasingly like the clear definition is "does not identify with prescriptive gender roles at least some of the time"

This makes a complete mockery of those people who have struggled with their identity all of their lives.

While I agree this man is probably exploiting the loophole to get off, have access to women or have easier treatment, I think the definition of transgender that is being pushed for in law and accepted in practice is so woolly as to be practically meaningless. Who is anyone to say he's not transgender and other people are, when it isn't clearly defined?

It is incredibly damaging for actual trans people. No one is going to take trans people seriously when things like this happen.

Completely agree. It's damaging to trans people and it's damaging to women. And it's damaging our legal system by the looks of things!

I'm all for trans rights, and have had many an argument here over blatant transphobic attitudes. However, in this case the person does present as a danger to women. They shouldn't have special measures put in place (apart from safety from possible physical/sexual attacks on themselves). People like them make the lives of trans people just trying to get on with their days normally very difficult.

little Maybe we should tell every male prisoner who announces that they are trans, "Fantastic, good for you, we can book your gender reassignment surgery for Wednesday."

Ooh yes what a good idea!

I'm wondering how it compares to other vulnerable/protected groups. I realise that no-one takes "trans racial" seriously, for example, but I mean in terms of housing prisoners. So if you had, say, a white man who is in prison for targetting and assualting black men because they are black, would he be imprisoned with black men or in segregation or what?