TS Woman Arrested In Georgia; Housed With Men

[Carolyn Marie]

Sounds like a horrible experience. What I find interesting is this; she was arrested for exposing herself, but once they found out she was biologically male, they still charged her. So, is it illegal for a man to go shirtless in Georgia? How about a man with moobs? I think she has a good defense.

http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/04/17/1884371/transgender-woman-arrested-for-exposing-breasts-jailed-with-men/

Carolyn Marie

[VickySGV]

I have to have a bit of scepticism about this one as it was written. Since it looks like it is headed for an actual court trial, it might be best to hold any judgment until the judge has a chance to put a nickle in. The editorial description of isolation cells, while true to a degree, was not needed as part of the story, and seems like pot stirring on behalf of the publication. Too many questions and TG people are not all angels. The article does say it looked like she had BA surgery, so she did not have a man's chest.

[Michelle 2010]

I typed a description of a common scene in detention facilities and decided to erase it...

The reality is that male inmates who can see female inmates tend to act like animals. I'm sure the description in the article is accurate. Inmate behavior may not have been based on trans issues. Many criminals are used to trans prostitutes as well as cis females ones. The guards, however, seem to need sensitivity training, no?

Michelle

[Ravin]

So the moral of the story is, if you have breasts don't flash them in Georgia?

I've heard stories like this before, with the same paradoxical circumstance. Did anyone else catch that the woman was mis-gendered by the author of the article in one instance (not while quoting the jailor)? Not well written.

Jail is dehumanizing under the best of circumstances. I feel for her. But it's a situation that most places simply don't know how to handle. I wonder if any recommended guidelines have been put out there by one of the trans law orgs?

[Ravin]

I found some written for San Francisco. The "by the genitals" logic is the big thing. they advocate switching it--put them in with their identified gender, and if the genitals don't match, put them in a "vulnerable inmate" status/unit.

It's not rocket science. Unfortunately, it's also not something likely to get past barriers of complete ignorance easily, either.

[Guest lostflower]

So they arrested a person for exposing their breasts and ruled that because they are male they should be placed in a male prison.....if that person is male how can they have breasts to expose

The law played fast and wide with it's own rules saying she's female so they can arrest a person for showing their breasts and saying they're male so you can put her in a male prison, they have provided her with a perfect legal defence, explain how can a man be punished for showing his breasts?

Legally is she a man or a woman according to Georgia law?

Hannah

[Guest Sarah Michelle]

My question on this story is why did she expose herself in the first place and to what extent. Either way she has a case against them for wrongful arrest or harassment.