The Department of Justice has intervened on Georgia trans woman Ashley Diamond's behalf, declaring state prison's continued denial of her hormone therapy a violation of her Eighth Amendment rights.
A blistering 93-page report from the Department of Justice notes multiple cases of violence and sexual assault against LGBTQ+ incarcerated people across Georgia.
Ashley Diamond and the Southern Poverty Law Center are fighting the trans woman of color's treatment in several Georgia state men's prisons, arguing it is 'cruel and unusual.'
An inmate who
castrated herself with a disposable razor blade after
prison officials refused to treat her for gender identity
disorder should have female hormone therapy paid for
by the state, a federal judge said.
To activists
concerned about AIDS and prisoners' rights, it's an urgent,
commonsense step that should already be nationwide policy --
letting inmates have condoms to reduce the spread of
sexually transmitted diseases behind bars. Yet their
efforts have run headlong into a stronger political
force: Authorities' desire not to encourage inmates who
flout prison rules against sex. Only one state,
Vermont, and five cities regularly hand out condoms to
inmates.
Prison inmate
Kathryn Canty seems like a prime candidate for work
release: good behavior, less than three years left to serve,
and an accounting degree along with vocational
training. But she also has HIV. And inmate advocates
say Alabama is the only state that bars prisoners with
the AIDS virus from participating in work release. ''I'm a
worker,'' said Canty, who finishes her 4 1/2-year
sentence for forgery and theft next month. ''Work
release would have been a great help for me to catch up
with technology as well as saving money to get back on my
feet.''
Transgender inmates in Pennsylvania will no longer be sent to solitary confinement based upon gender identity alone, and will be allowed to shower privately.Â
Ashley Diamond, 36, has called the repeated rapes she's allegedly endured in men's prisons 'torture.' Despite her other legal victories, she's still not safe.
After serving more than three years in a men's prison, where she reported repeated rapes, the black trans woman was released to family members in Georgia today.
