Sex-change woman sent to all-male prison - Bristol, UK

Western Morning News, UK

A sex-change woman who was born a man has been sent to an all male prison sparking fears for her safety.
Tara Hudson, 26, has lived as a female all of her adult life and undergone six years of gender reconstruction surgery.

Her mother condemned the move and said her daughter's own doctor has confirmed that she is now a woman.
But magistrates sentenced Tara her to 12 weeks inside tough all-male Bristol prison after she admitted assault because Tara's passport says she is still a man.

Just when I think that Magistrates couldn't make any more stupid decisions than I often read in my region, we get this.
A male prison, just because she hadn't got round to changing her passport legally?!
All that is required to change ones gender on a UK passport is a letter from a doctor, and in this case her doctor even wrote to the courts, who then ignored it. Maybe she didn't have the cash to change her passport, it's around £80, maybe she didn't bother doing it until she planned to leave the UK. Either way, the magistrate using this technicality deserves investigating.

Okay, she did the crime and must do the time of course, but not in a male prison, absolutely inappropriate, just look at her picture, she will be at needless risk there and I hope the decision is swiftly overturned.

Yikes! This is not cool! I haven't read the article yet and don't know what the crime was but this is so messed up. I guess the judge doesn't have a heart. Mean, plain mean.

I Read the article and am gathering she got into some sort of scuffle. It doesn't say if she badly hurt the other person but, I'm sure this sentence to an all male prison is more cruel than what she deserves. Again, I don't know what was done to the other person in the fight she had, but something tells me that what could happen to her in prison is far worse.

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

In my home city as well.

But if you are going to go around assaulting people, maybe get the paperwork sorted. Why didn't her brief advise her of this? If there was any possibility that she was facing prison time, then it should have been top priority.

a reply to: grainofsand

Freaky, the doc did good work, I would not have been able to tell she was a he at some point... Bruce needs to look up that doc. LOL

Mods the last half is a joke a swear.

In all seriousness though yeah all male prison is a bad idea, nothing good will come of that.

a reply to: Cobaltic1978

Agreed, an administrative error, but come on, punishment fit the crime and all that.
She will be the most vulnerable prisoner HMP Bristol is likely to have ever held.
Okay, the Governor may well put her in solitary, but then her sentence will still work out harsher than if I found myself banged up for the same crime.

a reply to: grainofsand

Crazy. There are far more people who are not completely male or female than most of us think. Only a retired midwife could tell you how many people are intermediate. A working midwife would be sacked.

These people teach us that we are all one, gender division is an illusion. There are all permutations.

However, with female screws taking smack into prisons internally and distributing as soon as they get in for the days work. Plus the controlling mafia and the murders/suicides. The total impossibility of making a woman's prison safe and drug free. She's probably better off in a mans prison.

a reply to: grainofsand

I gender how she feels about it?

and

I gender how he feels about it?

arh arh!

a reply to: randyvs

I'm aware of your post history, I don't wonder how you feel about it fella, not at all.

a reply to: grainofsand

Man, that seems phenomenally ignorant and ruthless. It also raises the potential double standards where popular opinion thinks prison rape is just part of the punishment.

Seems like a crazy decision and yet the assault seems to have been bad enough to earn a custodial.

a reply to: grainofsand

Grain of sand

this is interesting and raises quite the debate, so lets first look at his/her biology. Now changing ones hormones technically does not constitute a gender change, his DNA is male his chromosomes which are in every cell in his body are in fact male, his skeletal structure is also male so the only thing that has really changed is his appearance plus lets not forget the genitals which could still be male as well so they weren't entirely wrong but i don't know if they were right either.

So you have a point that he will be a target in an all male prison for a number of reasons but on the other hand does she really belong in a female prison.

let the debate begin.

a reply to: grainofsand

He's still a guy.

Paying someone to mutilate your reproductive organs and eating a fistful of pills a day will never change that, no matter how many time you lie to yourself and the public.

a reply to: grainofsand


What do you think you know about my opinion on this
subject by my post history? Am I just being profiled?

I wonder if he hits like a girl?

Probably not.

a reply to: Ozsheeple

It is interesting debate, but for vulnerability reasons alone I think a male prison is inappropriate.
She has female genitalia now as I've found from other sources so being the only one in HMP Bristol without a penis I think the female prison is the appropriate decision.

*EDIT* Correction/update
There are "vestiges of a penis" see www.abovetopsecret.com... for details and link, apologies for the incorrect information.

a reply to: eisegesis

Be careful not to ruin your POST HISTORY!

a reply to: grainofsand

I don't feel sorry for this person. He is a criminal and maybe they should have thought of that before assaulting someone. What are we worried about exactly? People get raped in prison all the time. I recommend avoiding these places.

originally posted by: Lipton
a reply to: grainofsand

He's still a guy.

Paying someone to mutilate your reproductive organs and eating a fistful of pills a day will never change that, no matter how many time you lie to yourself and the public.

Do you not agree that this person is more vulnerable in the male prison than any other prisoner inside? ...and for rather obvious reasons don't ya think.

a reply to: grainofsand

I wonder if she still has a "little friend" lurking way down low and that is the reason? If not then her representation did not look after her needs and should have advised on the passport issue very early on indeed.

We don't know for sure if she has kept the "defining" factor of masculinity. May be the judge does and he has ruled mail jail for this U.K female.

I must say picture wise she is very feminine looking, one of the better transformations.

Lol, in the jail for male she won't get no peace looking like that. However, in the female jail the action might be just as forthcoming. Everyone in any jail may well want a piece of that ass, lol.

Erm...can I come visit???

"Number forty-seven said to number three:
"You're the cutest jailbird I ever did see.
I sure would be delighted with your company,
come on and do the Jailhouse Rock with me.""

Just a matter of time before this was an issue.

She is a dude and can take care of himself there since the charges were for assault.

originally posted by: Revolution9
a reply to: grainofsand

I wonder if she still has a "little friend" lurking way down low and that is the reason?

Her doctor wrote to the court and confirmed full gender reassignment, no more operations to be done.
All that is needed to change gender on a UK passport is a letter from the doctor. The court ignored the letter and went on the technicality that the passport had not been changed.

*EDIT*
Incorrect, new update, "vestiges of a penis" remain, see my corrective post and link on next page>>>