On Saturday, the Daily Mail reported that “transgender prisoners have carried out seven sex attacks on women in jail” in the United Kingdom in recent years. Since 2016, male prisoners have been permitted to transfer to women’s prisons in England and Wales if they identify as women. In 2017, concerns were raised after a convicted rapist, “Karen” White — who was still legally male and had undergone no surgical changes — was moved to a women’s prison where he sexually assaulted two inmates. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that, under such a policy, such an instance is unlikely to be a one-off. From the Daily Mail:

In the wake of the White case, a new policy was developed for considering transfer requests by trans prisoners, adding ‘specific risk factors that must be considered where they might impact on other prisoners’.

Yet figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show increasing numbers of trans prisoners are being allowed to move to women’s jails. In 2018, seven requests were made and fewer than five were granted. Yet last year 14 requests were made and, of those, seven were granted.

Former prisons minister Rory Stewart also recently referenced “situations of male prisoners self-identifying as females then raping staff in prison.” [Emphasis added] Transgender activists continually try to downplay the risks women face when imprisoned with self-selecting men. This is an area where persistent investigative reporting is much-needed.