Like all politics, transgender politics may be contentious. However, in the example of Paedophile Drag Queen Karen White—who is legally still a guy but was housed in a female-only prison—both sides of the transgender rights issue agree that mistakes were done.
Karen White arrived in the UK jail system transgender. Still legally a man, the 52-year-old had not had any surgery even though she dressed as a woman. She was also on remand for terrible bodily injury, burglary, several rapes against women, convicted paedophile, and other sexual offences.
September last year saw her moved to New Hall prison in West Yorkshire. She sexually attacked two other prisoners during three months at the female penitentiary.
Following her admission in court to the sexual assault and several rapes carried out prior to her incarceration, Karen White’s decision to be placed in a women’s jail became public.
Those who met Karen White were surprised she was sent to a female prison; she described the convicted sex offender as “manipulative and controlling,” and questioned her dedication to her transition. Since then, the Ministry of Justice has apologies for the placement.
Karen White is presently undergoing gender reassignment surgery and housed in HM Prison Leeds, a category B men’s prison.
From the transgender rights group Transforum, Jenny-Anne Bishop said a local transgender case board comprised of prison managers and psychologists determines where to place prisoners such White three days of a prisoner being taken into jail.
The board lets the prisoner make representations and takes into account any hazards and if the person has been living in the gender they identify with.
Should a challenge to the decision made by this board arise, a local review board reviews the facts. At last, a “complex case board” can be configured to manage cases involving children under 21 and for those who run the danger of hurting others or themselves.
It is thought that Karen White’s placement in a women’s prison was decided upon just at the first level, by a local case board. Bishop argues the board should have considered all offending past but neglected to do so.
Bishop, who first met Karen White five years ago at a Transforum support group meeting in Manchester, said: “She was at the beginning of her transition when I met her. She seemed to me, nevertheless, someone who paid no attention to advise.
She seemed to be going to demand her rights and someone who was very much going to plough her own furrow independent of communal guidance. She insisted that others refer to her in her acquired gender without really trying to present as a woman.
“She would report individuals for a hate crime if they fumbled over which name to use for her — it was not a way to get oneself incorporated into the community. She was someone else who would not compromise.
Bishop claimed that although she had met thousands of transgender people over years, Karen White stood out. “I felt sense she was someone not to meddle with. Other residents claimed she had a rather short fuse. She agreed that she felt she should enrol in an anger management course.
Karen White was residing in a social housing estate in the village of Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, prior to being sent into the prison system. Originally David Thompson, she had asked to be known as Karen White within a fortnight of moving in.
Over a three-year period, inmates said she oversaw a reign of terror—physical and verbal abuse of others—with some of them having to leave. For concern of reprisals, everyone wished to stay unidentified.
Karen White was first “charming,” one of the residents said, but she become “very aggressive” over time and residents worried for their safety. White was dominating, she alleged, and threatened to document several for hate crimes.
“Her being transgender did not present any issues for us. The woman added, “We all got on perfectly and we already had another transgender woman living here.” “She was constantly phoning the police accusing us of hate crimes directed against her. She then became aggressive; it was a terrible period for all of us; we wish she had never been put here.
Karen White’s repeated stabbing of an old man inhabitant in his own house, alleging the pensioner had sexually attacked her, became the last straw. “She just went for me – it was absolutely out of the blue,” the man recounted. I am still afraid even in my own house.
Karen White was eventually taken off after the man staggered into another resident’s flat and police were summoned.
Born in July 1966 as Stephen Terence Wood, the former Manchester drag performer was imprisoned for eighteen months after being found guilty in 2001 on two counts of indecent assault and gross indecency with a primary school age minor.
She went by the name David Thompson while incarcerated.
Karen White’s arrest for that stabbing and a burglary in 2017 came just as the Ministry of Justice revised its policy “on the care and management of transgender prisoners” following the death of two trans prisoners in male prisons.
Introduced in January 2017, the new 60-page guideline underlined prisoners’ ability to “self-identify” and to be treated “according to the gender in which they identify”. Previously, anybody needing this kind of treatment would have either required a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria or a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC).
Inspired by article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the new policy let persons without the GRC and who identified as a different gender to their biological sex be located “in the part of the estate consistent with the gender they identify with”.
Based on a government survey, 125 transgender inmates in England and Wales are probably undercounted. MoJ statistics published in response to a BBC freedom of information request show that sixty of them had been found guilty of one or more sexual offences.
The Howard League for Penal Reform’s chief executive, Frances Crook, claimed serious errors were done in the White case and that the safety of vulnerable women ought to come first.
“It is a very toxic debate, but I think prisons have probably been influenced by some of the extreme conversations and have been bullied into making some decisions that have harmed women,” Crook said earlier.
“Any man who has committed a major sexual or violent offence against women, who subsequently wishes to transfer but has not gone through the complete process, still has a penis and still has male hormones, should not be sent into a women’s prison. One could argue for separate provision; that is a discussion worth discussing.
Currently, the government is consulting on Gender Recognition Act change. Although some groups opposed to the reforms worry a process of self-identification could provide dangerous men posing as trans women access to vulnerable women, such those in prisons, it has said “we are not necessarily proposing self-declared gender.”
Whatever the case with Karen White, it is abundantly evident that the prison system is under growing strain in this “rapidly developing area of policy.”
Bishop counters that incidents like Karen White’s are still rare.
“The case boards are a smart approach of doing things; you cannot claim the system is flawed only because one incident occurs. Almost the exception proving the rule is what you have to do: examine what went wrong and ensure it never happens once more. Perfect systems are not found in any form. People will naturally occasionally get it wrong.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.