California’s Transgender Prison Policy

From The National Review:

Feminists in Struggle, a nationwide feminist organization, were also “strenuously opposed” to the bill. The door would be open for “sexual predators of various types, from voyeurs to rapists, to reinvent themselves as female by taking on female names and identities,” they explained. “Add to this reality that the majority of female prisoners have been molested, raped, sexually assaulted, trafficked, coerced or forced into pornography and/or prostitution, and the potential harm to incarcerated women and girls is greatly increased.” 

The radical feminist group Women’s Liberation Front also expressed “adamant opposition,” saying the bill would “put women prisoners and women prison guards and staff, at serious increased risk of male violence.” They labeled the bill a “stunning attack on incarcerated women and one of the most extreme examples of elevating men’s feelings over women’s physical and psychological safety.” 

Note: These objections are largely coming from the left. So why won’t Democrats listen? 

Other groups, such as the Transgender Law Center, are single-minded in their pursuit of “transgender equity.” They emphasize that the bill “will help ensure the safety and dignity of incarcerated transgender people within the criminal-justice system.” Similarly, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of California ignores women’s concerns, stating that it is “proud to sponsor” the bill. In their pledge of support, the ACLU notes that efforts are already under way in other states, including Connecticut, which “became the first state in the nation to establish a legal right to be housed in a prison that matches the gender with which people identify.” (Read more.)

From The Federalist:

While it should be obvious that women’s prisons are for convicted criminals who are female, California Senate Bill 132, sponsored by state Sen. Scott Weiner (D–San Francisco), requires men who say they are women to be housed in women’s prisons. The State Senate passed the bill in May, and it passed the state Assembly with very little opposition on June 25. The bill demands that the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation ask prisoners their preferred pronouns and gender identity at intake, then house them accordingly. This means that a man need only say at intake that he is a woman to gain access to women’s prison. In passing this bill, California has turned its back on incarcerated women. (Read more.) 

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