‘You’re a woman, a convenience, a cat, a poof, a thing, an idiot’: Transgender women negotiating sexual experiences in men’s prisons in Australia

Abstract

We examine the lived experiences of transgender women in Australian men's and women's prisons. We draw on Alice Ristroph's sexual punishments framework to discuss the diversity and ambiguities of sexual experiences reported by participants, and argue for a need to move beyond the dominant narrative of prison rape.

Whole-incarceration-setting approaches to supporting and upholding the rights and health of incarcerated transgender people

“…Further, the incarceration rate of transgender people of color (e.g., Black/African-American, Latinx/Hispanic, multi-racial, and Native American/Alaskan Native) and from low-income backgrounds is elevated (Lydon et al, 2015), with estimates suggesting that 47% of Black transgender people in the US have been incarcerated at some point during their lifetime (Grant et al, 2011). Similar patterns have been observed in Australia where 60% of formerly incarcerated transgender informants in one study were of Australian Aboriginal background (Br€ omdal et al, 2019a;Mullens et al, 2019), a finding that parallels national averages, where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are overrepresented compared to non-Indigenous people (Anthony, 2017;Australian Institute of Health & Welfare, 2019;Lynch & Bartels, 2017;Wilson et al, 2017). While there is limited information on the number of incarcerated transgender people globally, some regions of the United Kingdom (UK) have recently begun recording the number of transgender people incarcerated in their systems.…”

“…Additionally, transgender individuals often cycle in and out of the criminal justice system due to low-level offenses (Grant et al, 2011;James et al, 2016), leading to variability in the number of currently incarcerated transgender people at any point in time. Nonetheless, research suggests that transgender people are overrepresented in the criminal justice system in the US, Australia, and elsewhere around the globe (Br€ omdal et al, 2019a;Gorden, Hughes, Roberts, Astbury-Ward, & Dubberley, 2017;Lamble, 2012;Lynch & Bartels, 2017;National Center for Transgender Equality, 2018a;Newcomen, 2017;Perkins, 1991;Poole, Whittle, & Stephens, 2002;Tarzwell, 2006;Wilson et al, 2017).…”

“…However, recently, European researchers (Gorden et al, 2017) and the European Parliament have recognized the lack of European discourse on incarcerated transgender people and have encouraged researchers to critically examine this context (Castagnoli, 2010;International Bar Association LGBTI Law Committee, 2015). While much research is needed across Asia, Africa, and South America, the existing, albeit limited research from outside the US, including in Australia (Blight, 2000;Br€ omdal et al, 2019a;Butler et al, 2010;Lynch & Bartels, 2017;Mullens et al, 2019;Perkins, 1991;Richters et al, 2008;Wilson et al, 2017;Yap et al, 2011), is consistent with US findings in describing how mistreatment, violence, and indifference are the norm rather than the exception for incarcerated transgender people.…”

“…A 2015 study of 27,715 transgender people in the US found that among the 554 transgender people who had been incarcerated in the past year, 43% reported they had been physically assaulted and 17% had been sexually assaulted by another incarcerated persona sexual assault rate that is nine to ten times higher than that of the general US incarcerated population (James et al, 2016). Transgender women incarcerated in male settings are particularly vulnerable with those in the US, Australia, and the UK reporting that their transgender identity greatly increases their risk of being raped and coerced into sexual activities by other incarcerated people -experiences which correctional staff (correctional officers, healthcare providers, and administrators) frequently fail to report or prevent (Br€ omdal et al, 2019a(Br€ omdal et al, , 2019bDolovich, 2011;Gorden et al, 2017;Grant et al, 2011;Hagner, 2010;Holman & Goldberg, 2006;James et al, 2016;Jenness & Fenstermaker, 2016;Lara, 2010;Longo, 2017;Lydon et al, 2015;Lynch & Bartels, 2017; National Center for Transgender Equality, 2018a; Newcomen, 2017; Rosenberg & Oswin, 2015;Wilson et al, 2017). Incarcerated transgender women also report being treated with indifference, ridiculed, and sexually and physically violated by those working in the system.…”

(Dis)Owning Exotic: Navigating Race, Intimacy, and Trans Identity

“…Instead, trans populations tend to be included in umbrella studies of LGBT online dating, hook up culture, or sex work, often with a focus on health and sexual behavior (see Choi, Wong, and Fong ) or they are relegated to studies on such topics as trans women's sexual experiences in men's prisons (Wilson et al. ), if they are not completely ignored for studies focused on lesbian, gay, and/or bisexual daters (see Hillier, Mitchell, and Ybarra ).…”