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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Centre for Crime & Justice Studies on GRA reform

10 replies

wellbehavedwomen · 30/09/2020 16:32

They've been staunch for the best interests of women prisoners (as a prison reform charity, they're staunch on the best interests of all prisoners, but they have been exceptionally brave here on how single sex prisons should be retained as a human rights issue - and their director has stated that, as a man, he does not feel it is up to him to decide what a woman is...) and they published this response to GRA reform.

Liz Truss does not have ministerial responsibility for the prison system, but her comments are helpful in reaffirming that there is a legal basis for segregating prisons on the basis of sex, rather than by amorphous and subjective notions of gender identity.

This is not currently the approach of the prison service, which runs women's prisons as mixed-sex institutions. While the majority of males who identify as or believe themselves to be women are held in the male estate, a relatively small number are held in women's prisons. Placement in a women's prison is more-or-less automatic for male prisoners who have a gender recognition certificate indicating that their legal sex is female.

This is why moving towards a system that would have allowed individuals to change their legal sex by a mere declaration posed such a potential gatekeeping challenge to the women's prison system.

It was never 'just admin'.

The article goes on to say, If transgender males who identify as or believe themselves to be women cannot be said to have been "born in the wrong body", it is not unreasonable to ask why the Prison Service treats some transgender prisoners as if they are indeed women, trapped in a male body.

There was also an article a year or so ago which suggested that female prisoners, and not anyone else, should have the final word. Again, they are very women-centred in this area.

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TorkTorkBam · 30/09/2020 16:48

Excellent. Let's hope those women currently incarcerated with males are soon properly protected.

ArabellaScott · 30/09/2020 16:56

Good to hear.

FindTheTruth · 30/09/2020 17:09

Good article. As a charity, not sure how much attention it will get.

Similar article about California (with more prisoners than the UK) and a bill which priorities gender self-identification over (biological) sex,
callieburt.org/blog/

wellbehavedwomen · 30/09/2020 17:13

They've been deplatformed for raising this. Targeted with abuse. But they don't back down - they prioritise the prisoners whose best interests they exist to support and advance. I really admire Richard Garside on this one - he's very clear that women should be the ones to decide who a woman is, and in which contexts, and as I linked, he's also said women in prisons should be the one to choose whether transwomen can join them, on a case by case basis, and with checks to see if they remain happy with it. Revolutionary indeed, the suggestion that women should be listened to, let alone the decision makers here.

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FindTheTruth · 30/09/2020 17:24

said women in prisons should be the one to choose whether transwomen can join them, on a case by case basis, and with checks to see if they remain happy with it. Revolutionary indeed, the suggestion that women should be listened to, let alone the decision makers here

that is revolutionary common sense.
compassionate and respectful

raddledoldmisanthropist · 30/09/2020 17:33

Yes, Garside has been outstanding in keeping a factual and evidence based focus and utterly unwilling to mince words about the way women are treated in prision just to have an easy life. Not easy for an academic.

wellbehavedwomen · 30/09/2020 17:37

This is the article: Let Female Prisoners Decide Who Can Share Their Spaces.

I've not heard anyone else suggest women's voices should be included, much less the determinant. In fact I've heard (men) say that trans women are women, so women's voices are already heard and nothing more is required.

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Babdoc · 01/10/2020 10:09

So sad that his intervention is necessary. Any sane government would have permanently banned transwomen from female prisons the minute Karen White sexually assaulted 4 inmates.
Actually, scratch that- no sane government would have let them in to start with.

RozWatching · 01/10/2020 10:43

@wellbehavedwomen

This is the article: Let Female Prisoners Decide Who Can Share Their Spaces.

I've not heard anyone else suggest women's voices should be included, much less the determinant. In fact I've heard (men) say that trans women are women, so women's voices are already heard and nothing more is required.

I'm suspicious of any man who claims that women are already being heard because TWAW. By now most people who get involved in the debate will have come across these stories

m.youtube.com/watch?v=9NpIy-0_esU

Shedbuilder · 01/10/2020 11:02

This is wonderful. The tide is turning.

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