Should a convicted child rapist be barred from receiving some types of award?

[PurgatoryOfPotholes]

article

A convicted child sex offender is performing community outreach for an organization that advises incarcerated men on how to declare a transgender status and legally change their identification.

Xena Grandichelli, born Jeffrey Willsea, is a biological male who now identifies as a woman. In 1994, Grandichelli pleaded guilty to 11 counts of sexual abuse involving a 3 year-old girl and was designated a sexually violent offender. [bold mine] His sex offender registration categorizes him as a risk level 3, which denotes the highest recidivist risk and a threat to public safety. New York State law restricts level 3 sex offenders from being within 1,000 feet of a school.

Yet since his release from prison, Grandichelli has become a highly-regarded trans activist and has spoken at top-tier universities. In 2017, he was a panelist representing “women’s experiences of incarceration” at Columbia University. In 2016, Grandichelli spoke at NYU on the topic of incarceration and trauma. In the same year, he led a workshop on trans issues for the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People of Color Health Conference.

Notably, he has also partnered with the Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP) and was designated as a Movement Building Team member. In a letter posted to the SRLP website, Grandichelli describes how team members from the organization actively worked to recruit him while he was still incarcerated for sexually abusing a child. Grandichelli’s crime has been obscured by his self-declared transgender status. By claiming a female identity, Grandichelli has been afforded a platform by two of the most prestigious universities in the nation, and in 2017, he was presented with a Community Hero award by the Anti-Violence Project. [bold mine]

In 2021, the Women & Justice Project, an organization that lobbies for the rights of incarcerated women, featured a quote from Grandichelli on their website: “[I] break down crying when trying to explain to somebody what it’s like to be in a state prison or Rikers Island and to be physically beat half to death and raped, and misgendered and abused so much that you’re ready to take your own life.”

Continues here www.reduxx.info/post/toddler-rapist-now-award-winning-trans-rights-activist

Well more fool all those LGB+ people who turned a blind eye to this appalling nonce representing them. Of course he shouldn't be getting awards. He should still be in Rikers.

Photos from the awards ceremony.

[I] break down crying when trying to explain to somebody what it’s like to be in a state prison or Rikers Island and to be physically beat half to death and raped, and misgendered and abused so much that you’re ready to take your own life

Shock news, violent males in prison with other violent males suffer violence. If this child-abuser had said "I break down crying when I think of what I did to that little girl," I might have some sympathy.

And yes, this person should not be receiving awards.

I also found this tweet from the NYU Silver School of Social Work.

More social workers need to work w/trans people before & after incarceration to reduce trans prison pop says Xena Grandichelli @kirkajames

twitter.com/NYUSilver/status/806572577196015617?t=PSGfWY5vPbxafW3zQ8T-XA&s=19

Seeing as Grandichelli ended up in prison for sexually abusing a three year old, I'm at a loss to see how it was social workers' fault. Does Grandichelli mean social workers should preemptively remove toddlers from transwomen, so they don't have the chance to commit sexual abuse of children?

https://medium.com/@rakshithaarni_54589/breaking-into-prison-walls-1bac1267b29

Christ what a work of absolute fiction. Journalist my arse.

Jesus Christ.

Not surprised. Just dismayed at the repeated glorification of people like this. Sacred caste indeed.

No

@nzborn

No

Thank you for your answer. It's nice to have some variety in viewpoints. Can you expand though? The question was "should child rapists be barred from receiving some types of award?"

So there is no type of award you think they should become ineligible for?

For fuck sake it is a total mockery.

Imagine the uproar if a convicted pedo priest won the bloody Golden Cleric

More social workers need to work w/trans people before & after incarceration to reduce trans prison pop says Xena

Fuck that shit. Social workers protect children, not child sex offenders. Child sex offenders deserve extremely long prison sentences. And if they're male, in the male prison estate. End of.

WTAF

And why on earth should he get an award. For advocating for people like him to have an easier time in prison. There's lots of vulnerable males in prison, I dont see why males identifying as females should get special privileges over other males.

I've been trying to gauge how prestigious awards from the Anti Violence Project are, and it turns out that later that year, Joe Biden received a Courage Award from them.

So a child rapist is in the same bracket as the then former Vice-President of the US.

"Oh Lord where are you?!" Evil thing. "It" should not be celebrated for anything.

@PurgatoryOfPotholes

I've been trying to gauge how prestigious awards from the Anti Violence Project are, and it turns out that later that year, Joe Biden received a Courage Award from them.

So a child rapist is in the same bracket as the then former Vice-President of the US.

Omg. A child sex abuser gets a courage award. Ffs

twitter.com/antiviolence/status/866788881571753984?t=dF3_JRSfyoqLiiyjGcFLdQ&s=19

@PurgatoryOfPotholes

I've been trying to gauge how prestigious awards from the Anti Violence Project are, and it turns out that later that year, Joe Biden received a Courage Award from them.

So a child rapist is in the same bracket as the then former Vice-President of the US.

Wow. There are no words.

Text of tweet from the Anti Violence Project on the apparent date of the ceremony

AVP volunteer extraordinaire Xena Grandichelli who always saves the day. #AVPHeroes t.co/QzPdkDEkVo

twitter.com/antiviolence/status/866788881571753984?t=UvUjOMR76cL2Oij3MtgtSQ&s=19

An award for a 'community hero', is that correct? For someone who raped a three year old child?

Seems quite unsavory.

I can see that awards related to people who are in the prison system are likely to go to people in many cases who have done seriously bad things, and I don't necessarily think that's a problem. But this seems different to me.

I wonder how often the child this person raped has broken down into tears since the day this person chose to use her?

Should society celebrate a male who chose to destroy a little girl's life in this way? And is very very sorry for self about their suffering during consequences for their choices, but has nothing to say about regret for anything else? And is helping other males to get into spaces where vulnerable women are?

Hell to the no.

They are different questions really, should this person be barred from certains rewards no. Should this person win that award also no. I just don't think they deserve it but I don't think a ban would be the right answer.

Interesting too that apparently experiencing life as an abused person has also done little to raise empathy with the person they chose to leave damaged and abused in their wake. Or self awareness of how this is likely to come over to others.