Heather Mason, who served
time in Canada’s prison system, said that she experienced firsthand the
dangers that come with placing biological men in female jails.
Canada
allows men to choose to serve their sentence in a female prison if they
say they identify as women – regardless of whether or not they have
undergone surgery or hormone therapy.
Speaking to RT, Mason recounted an incident in which a sex offender had attempted to “peek” into her cell while officers were strip-searching her. Mason claimed that the biological male was “fully intact”
and hadn’t had any procedures done. She said that the sexual harassment
from trans inmates continued after she was transferred to a federal
facility.
Other women have reported being groped and sexually
assaulted by trans inmates, according to Mason. There have also been
instances of serious physical altercations, prompting female inmates to “carry weapons around” to defend themselves.
They’re
putting soup cans in socks because they know that they’re fighting
males and not women… There’s a really big power difference between them.
It’s not normal for women in Canadian prisons to have to worry about their physical safety, Mason noted.
The women’s rights activist told RT that biological males are able to take advantage of a “grievance system”
whenever their presence in female prisons is questioned. In some cases,
complaints issued by trans prisoners go before the Canadian Human
Rights Tribunal. At the same time, the abuse faced by female inmates –
many of whom are already suffering from past trauma – is ignored, Mason
claimed.
“They have been abused their entire lives… They just accept it,” she said. While some have started to come forward, “not enough women are speaking out, because they’re scared.”
And
while the policy that has led to the abuse and violence has been billed
as a way to uphold human rights for all, few are willing to advocate
for female inmates without a voice.
Nobody
wants to speak about it. They don’t want to report on it. We’re being
told that we’re lying, that it’s not happening, that we have bigoted
views, that we’re transphobic.
Mason said that the obvious solution to the problem would be to create special wings in male prisons for LGBTQ inmates that are “tailored to fit their unique needs.”
She argued that the fact trans men do not serve in male prisons due to
safety concerns reveals Canada’s clear double-standard on the issue.
Canada
isn’t alone in allowing biological males to serve their sentences in
female prisons. California adopted a similar policy in January, leading
to reports of abuse and even rape committed by trans prisoners in the
state’s female penitentiaries.
Alix Aharon, founder of the Gender
Mapping Project, which seeks to counter gender identity ideology, told
RT that by allowing biological males in the state’s female prisons,
California was “sentencing women, who have committed whatever crime, to the punishment of sexual violence.”
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US states must use ‘common sense’ & protect female inmates from male predators who identify as women, activist tells RT