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GUEST: Kelani Key, Outreach Coordinator Trans/gender Variant in Prison Committee (TIP)

Last Tuesday, closing arguments were heard in the case of Alexis Giraldo, a transgender Latina who is suing the California state prison system. Giraldo alleges that in 2006, Folsom State Prison staff members ignored her pleas for help as her cellmate repeatedly raped and assaulted her. The state has argued that Giraldo was not ignored and that as soon as she made clear her complaints of sexual assault, she was removed and eventually transferred to a psychiatric prison. In her testimony, Giraldo said that in fact she had informed a staff psychologist and three other prison employees about her situation, but they did not take her seriously. This past Monday, a hundred community members protested outside the courthouse in her support. Organized by the Transgender Variant in Prison Committee, or TIP, protesters called for justice in Giraldo’s case and for Attorney General Jerry Brown to implement policies to end prison rape. According to a new study, 59% of California’s transgender prisoners report incidents of sexual assault as compared to only 4% of the rest of the inmate population. Jury deliberations in the case of Alexis Giraldo are set to begin today.

For more information visit www.tgijp.org.