Bill to let male inmates in women’s prisons up for vote

From Greg Burt/California Family Council

SACRAMENTO — The Women’s Liberation Front (WOLF) and the California Family Council will be testifying Tuesday against SB 132, a bill that lets inmates pick their gender and decide which sex they would like to be housed with. The hearing is in the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

“SB 132 would increase the risk of violence and injury for one of the most vulnerable groups in society: incarcerated women,” wrote board members of WOLF in a letter opposing the bill. “It would allow any male at any time to self-declare that he has a woman “gender identity,” and on that basis allow him to demand to be housed in a women’s correctional facility. … SB 132 is a stunning attack on incarcerated women and one of the most extreme examples of elevating men’s feelings over women’s physical and psychological safety.”

California Family Council President Jonathan Keller also strongly opposes this bill. “Biological sex is not arbitrary. The legislature is increasing dangers for both inmates and correctional officers by attempting to let prisoners self-determine their sex,” Keller explained. “Even in prison, males and females are guaranteed a constitutional right to privacy. The legislature should not victimize prisoners, especially biological women, by requiring them to allow members of the opposite sex into facilities that are currently female-only or male-only. This bill is a recipe for complete chaos in our state’s correctional facilities.”

In plain words, here is what SB 132 would do:

Allow any incarcerated male to claim that he has a feminine “gender identity.”

Give any such incarcerated male the legal right to be housed at a women’s facility, unless the incarcerated male’s “perception of [his] own health and safety needs requires a different placement.”

Force correctional facility staff to use language pretending that males who claim to have a woman “gender identity” are women.

Forbid facility officials from considering anatomy, the presence or absence of a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, and the presence or absence of any other physical or mental health diagnosis.

Forbid prison officials from overriding a prisoner’s demand to be housed in a women’s facility unless the prison official meets the extraordinarily high bar of demonstrating in advance “significant security or management concerns.”