FOLLOWING the death of another transwoman in an all-male prison, and with evidence that these are not the only cases, we, as members of the Green Party, would like to express our solidarity with transgender prisoners, and express our concerns about the current treatment of transgender prisoners.
Housing trans women in the male estate exposes them to sexual harassment. This is inhumane and unacceptable in 2015.
We support the current campaign by the trans community called #PrisonTRANSform
We call upon the Ministry of Justice to:
* revisit PSI 07/2011 & place a legal responsibility on prison governors to ensure safe housing for trans people.
* house trans people in the estate of their acquired gender in the first instance, and only move them into the other estate on their request or after a thorough investigation concludes there is no other possible alternative.
* take urgent steps to review the location of all trans people and move them to appropriate prisons according to their acquired gender, pending the review of the current policy.
* involve trans groups and organisations in the review of current policy, to ensure that tragedies like that of Vicky Thompson and Joanne Latham are not repeated.
Signed,
Aimee Challenor, Chair of LGBTIQ Greens,
Sahra Taylor, LGBTIQ Greens Committee, Greens Equality and Diversity Committee
Natalie Bennett, Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales
Jenny Jones AM, Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb
Benali Hamdache, Equalities Spokesperson for the Green Party
Chris Atkins, Campaigns Officer South East Region GP, LGBTIQ Greens Secretary
Molly Arthurs, LGBTIQ Greens Campaigns Coordinator, Young Greens SPC, Ashford Green Party
Ronald Stewart, LGBTIQ Greens Committee, London Assembly Candidate for Enfield & Haringey
Lee-Anne Lawrance, LGBTIQ Greens Committee
Sabrina Poole, Co-chair of Green Party Women
Jonathan Hume, Sunderland Green Party, LGBTIQ Greens Committee
Douglas Rouxel, Stafford and Stone Green Party.
Manishta Sunnia, Green Party Exec, Equality & Diversity Coordinator
Deborah Fenney, Headingley Green Party
Duncan Davis, Midlands Young Greens Co-convenor
Andrew Creak, Wales Green Party prospective candidate for Caerphilly in Welsh Assembly Election 2016
Georgia Elander, Young Greens National Executive Committee
Andrea Grainger, North Staffordshire Green Party
Matthew Genn, Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Greens Co-ordinator, Midlands Young Greens
Daniel Johnston, South West Young Greens Social Media & Press Officer
Joanne Corless, North Lancashire Green Party
Jessica Horner, Plymouth Green Party
Caroline Russell, Islington Councillor and London-wide Assembly Candidate
Adam Smith, Spokesperson Welsh Green Pride, Gwent Green Party
Tom Pashby, Watford Green Party
Diana Korchien, Media Coordinator, Waltham Forest & Redbridge Green Party
Laura Atkin, Coordinator for North Lincolnshire Green Party & Green Party Town Councillor
Hannah Pudner Cardiff and the Vale Green Party
Peter Varley, prospective Assembly candidate for Newport East
RoseMary Warrington, Green Party Women committee member and London-wide Assembly candidate
Danni Capelin, Gosport & Fareham Green Party
Pam Archer, Dudley Green Party
Bethany Payne, South West Young Greens committee member, Exeter Green Party
Leslie Groves, Chair Adur Green Party
Chris Cotton, Norwich Green Party
Imogen Kutz, Co-convenor South West Young Greens
Shan Oakes Harrogate and District Green party
Ben Jones, South West Green Party Liaison to South West Young Greens