If You Go To Jail....

[Guest Kaitlyn88]

Well I haven't been on in a few weeks because I've been in jail. I had just moved when my brother called me to tell me that the police came to my dad's house saying they had a warrent for me. So I went like 4 hours away to figure out what was going on. Apparently the under age possesion of alcohol charge from 5 years ago that I was told had been dropped was still open. I had joined the Army and everything while the warrent was out. They refused to give me bail, they set a date that never happened. I paid a thousand dollars to get a lawyer and her said that the judge broke several codes of law to keep me in jail and had refused to let me see another judge while he was out on vacation. I had a court date to get a suspended jail sentance, which I am allowed by law and required since I wasn't at the court date. The judge didn't even listened to the case and I still had the 30 day sentance to serve.

While in jail the doctor refused to get me meds unless I brought them in myself. So later in the week my friend drove or hours to bring them to me. Even then they screwed up my dosages and only gave them to me all at once. They kept me in an isolation cell for being transsexual. They called me everything from Mr to he she and it and anything else. They had about 8 men have me strip down and bend over or them. They gave me every restriction saved for the worst people in jail, I was often forgotten in the cell and not allowed to go to the comissary or anything. I'm not sure if that was outright discrimination or if they just didn't know what to do with me.

So I was wondering if anyone knew of any lawyers that would be interested in taking on a case pro bono. I'm really looking into making sure this doesn't happen again and hope to get back some of the thousands of dollars I wasted on it that I badly need for transition. It should be illegal for the doctors to deny medicine because he thinks it's a joke, they should have sensitivity training and a program for when people like us end up in jail. I don't want any of you to end up in the same situation and unable to get your medications and so on and to be treated like that. Thats just on top of the illegal actions of the courts, and in my situation I was not a crimminal, it could happen to anyone. I think if there was a court case fighting for this it would be good for our public image if the person in jail was only there illegally for something minor like an old under age possesion of alcohol. I'm 21 now too by the way.

The only advice I can give you is if you don't have a friend that can bring you your medications, try to have them on you. If you end up in jail for something stupid like this it may be the only way you can have it.

[Guest Donna Jean]

Kaitlyn......

OMG...I've been wondering where you've been ad I wish that you could of told me "Disneyland" or something like that!

Geez, Girl...I'm so sorry that happened to you....

I know of one girl, close to me here, that ended up in jail one night, but it wasn't 30 days like yours...

That must of been just awful....

I certainly hope that you can come up with a lawyer (Pro Bone) that is willing to go the distance!

I'm glad that you're safe, now....

And back with us...

HUGGS!

Donna Jean

[Guest Elizabeth K]

That one girl Dee Jay mentioned - me - warrent on an old traffic ticket - improper lane use! Handcuffed - paddy wagon - searched - booked. It was 23 November, my wife and my wedding anniversary. We were going back to the hotel after spending a day in the French Quarter - cutting through on Degas Street. Black cop wanted to arrest a white man in his neighborhood - may have thought I was buying drugs, stopped me on a tinted window suspicion (factory tinted - bogus excuse). Ran a check - said I had been passing bad checks in Jefferson Parish (wrong person) - held us for an hour and 15 minutes before deciding to haul me in! I spent four hours in holding - bonded out along with two other felons (open container violation, underage drinking)

Met the nicest MTF transsexual there - who, unlike me, was fully dressed, casual female clothing. She was there for an old possesion of weed warrent when she was 17 - busted as she came out of the corner store after buying a bottle of BBQ sauce for the dinner she was making - looked suspicious, obviously a trans... Her regret? She wouldn't bond out in time for T-Day.

I asked her why she was dressed as a woman if she was in a gay neighborhood - said she once thought she was gay - but lived with her boyfriend until he was murdered. This was a white t-girl. She had just turned age 20. TOUGH LIFE! Had only had that one sexual partner her whole life. I suspect she will turn to prostitution eventually.

Go through the GLBT groups - even on a national level - to see if there is a special ACLU action that can be followed. They sometimes like test case to 'gig' locals for unconstitutional use of the law. Then look at the anti-discrimination codes in your area - GLBT can help there too. Lawyers are expensive - and those rat-bustard biggots are betting you will just slink away.

DANG

Lizzy

[Guest Girl Emily]

Kaitlyn,

What a horrible experience!!!

I am so happy you have survived. Don't forget your feelings of the experience you will need the passion they develop to fight a long legal battle.

There are organization that fight for the rights of transgenderd victims. Here are some links

http://www.transgenderlegal.org/

http://www.lambda.org/

http://www.glad.org/rights/protectingfamilies.pdf

I am so happy your back. I missed you.

Huggs,

[Carolyn Marie]

Katlyn, it sounds like an experience out of hell, and I'm so sorry you had to endure that.

I'm glad you're safe. It might have been a good thing that they put you in osolation, as you might have been assualtd,

otherwise.

My only suggstions for an attorney are either the ACLU, or you local LGBT center. Many have lawyers that are associated

with them and are subsideized by government funds.

Good luck, and please let us know how things go.

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

[Guest angie]

UmHm,

My girlfriend Lauren went to jail for five months,was called only the

male pronouns for her ID having an M on it.But she was thrown in

with the gays who were kept segregated from the general population.

And,she walks,so she has seen the inside of the jail many times,and it

really didn't bother her.But without her prescription from her treating

physican,they would not and did not give her her HRT the full time she

was in jail.

Angie

[Guest Kaitlyn88]

Thanks everyone. I haven't been doing so well I was in the middle of moving when it happened. Then when I got out my friend had to go to the emergency room and she might need surgery. Since I turned myself in I had brought my meds with me but they ran out and the doctor refused to even order a refill on the bottles because he thought it was all a joke and the doctors that do it are only out for money. So every refill had to be brought in from the outside.

[Guest Girl Emily]

Kaitlyn,

That sounds like malpractice. From my own research in to the law a Doctor in that setting 1) Has a duty to provide care. 2) an obligation to prevent injury when it is reasonably foreseeable it may occur. While you were gone a Federal Court in Wisconsin found it to be cruel and unusual punishment to withhold hormones from a prisoner. Malpractice, cruel and unusual punishment, your genetic genotype, the minor nature of you charge, I believe a lot of ambulance chasers would take your case.

Please take care,

[Guest Katrina_Carter]

I'd most definitely get a hold of either the closest LGBT center to point you in the direction of a lawyer, or the closest ACLU. ACLU will most likely want money, but will take on your case and make it public so hope you don't mind the spotlight. The LGBT center may be able to find you a lawyer who will file a civil suit for a portion of whatever you win. Sadly I think criminal charges need to be filed against those people, but I doubt they ever would. A civil suit against the city/county/state would be your best bet.