Concern Over Being Transgender In Prison, But What About Rape?

I notice in the transgender rights movement that one of the issues they are fighting for is the right to transition in prison. They also fight for the right to be in the prison of the gender in which you identify. It's a rather interesting debate as some will claim you gave up that right when you were put in prison.

The right to be held with the gender in which you identity is important, despite the erroneous concern that guys would pretend to be women. It's fairly obvious who is transgender, and putting somebody who appears to be a woman in with the men is just asking for trouble. She is sure to get raped, and probably repeatedly.

While I agree that trans prisoners should be put with the gender in which they identity, there's a bigger issue that I never hear spoken of. Nothing is being done to address the rape issue in prison. All I hear of is the call for condoms, but how many rapists will bother with that? What is the warden really going to do to a lifetime prisoner at that point?

Some will say they shouldn't have been thrown in prison if they didn't want to get raped. The problem with that way of thinking is that some people are wrongly convicted or weren't hardened criminals when they were put in there, but they are thrown in with hardened criminals who want sex and are abusive.

So, that person is an easy target. Did the crime they were convicted of call for them to be raped and robbed of their dignity in prison? This is what happens to some people. Suddenly, the punishment exceeds the crime. It seems like nobody cares about that and it's held up as a reason not to go to prison. Nothing is being done to change that.

What the trans community is saying is that she can't fend off the guys and will be raped, and it's a legitimate concern. However, the issue of prison rape itself is something that should be addressed. The weaker male prisoners don't have the advocates for them that the transitioning prisoners have.

An ABC News Story On Prison Rape: abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=131113