Women Inmates Segregated Into "Butch Wing"

According to the Associated Press, inmates in Virginia's largest women's prison, Fluvanna Correctional Center, were segregated and verbally harassed for being or looking gay or masculine. Where do I even start with this one? It is so wrong in so many ways that I could probably reel off a few pages right now. Instead I'll try to step aside for a moment and let the women there speak for themselves:

• "I have been gay all my life and never have I once felt as degraded, humiliated or questioned my own sexuality, the way I look, etc., until all of this happened," said Trina O'Neal, 33.

• "Point blank, this institution is ran by homophobes, and the rules instated here are based on your sexual preference not what is right or wrong," wrote inmate Casey Lynn Toney.

I got the opportunity to visit Fluvanna and to read the stories that women incarcerated there had written about their lives years ago after I helped conduct a book drive for their library. No statistics about the extremely high rates of poverty, addiction, and physical and sexual abuse that women inmates have experienced could ever have taught me nearly as much as their own words did. The women of Fluvanna deserve a lot more than most of them have ever gotten in terms of resources, education, and opportunities - but at the very least, they are dignified human beings and should be treated with basic respect! Discriminating against inmates on the basis of their gender expression and perceived sexual orientation is both wrong and arguably illegal and the wardens know it - that's probably why they are denying it, contradicting to the testimony of guards and inmates. In my ever-humble opinion, there is a lot that is fundamentally wrong with our criminal "justice" system, and this situation in Fluvanna is just some icing on a very messed-up cake.

Nonetheless, I will try to end this on a somewhat upbeat note. According to the AP's article, "The practice was stopped recently after the Associated Press began questioning it, according to several inmates and one current employee." Incarcerated people are ignored or forgotten all too often, but paying attention really can make a difference. I encourage you to learn more not just about why so many women are incarcerated in the US today, how their labor is often exploited, and the effects of privatizing prisons, but also what you can do - boycott a company that uses prison labor; donate to a book drive or an education fund or a prisoner's rights project; read a book that was written by someone who has been incarcerated. I know I have some catching up to do.