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Washington state prison officials forcibly removed a transgender woman, Amber Kim, from a women’s prison where she had lived for three and a half years and transferred her to a men’s facility. This marks the first time the agency has removed a transgender person from gender-affirming housing.
Last Friday afternoon, Kim was taken from her cell at the Washington Corrections Center for Women and placed in waist restraints. When her requests to see paperwork authorizing the transfer and to speak to her lawyer were denied, she refused to walk. Guards then slammed her to the ground, tied her ankles and wrists together, threw her in the back of an SUV, and drove her to Monroe Correctional Complex, a men’s prison about 70 miles away. There, she was placed in solitary confinement as punishment for “refusing transfer,” she said.
Kim has been on a hunger strike since last Friday, demanding to be transferred back to the women’s prison. Speaking from solitary confinement in the men’s prison, Kim expressed fear and desperation, saying, “I’m just scared it’s gonna get a lot worse before it gets better.”
Kim’s initial punishment for a “504 infraction,” which involved consensual sexual contact with another incarcerated individual, was being moved to a more restrictive unit within the women’s prison. She expected this move to be temporary. However, earlier this month, her counselor informed her that prison officials recommended her transfer out of the women’s prison, likely related to the infraction. Kim noted that cisgender women engaging in similar conduct typically faced less severe consequences.
A week after the transfer, Kim had yet to receive an official explanation. DOC policy allows individuals to be removed from gender-affirming housing if there are documented safety concerns. The policy also requires consideration of transgender individuals’ views on personal safety. DOC communications director Chris Wright stated the housing review was initiated due to Kim’s recent sexual contact, which violated DOC’s prohibition on all sexual activity in prison.
Trans people face higher rates of incarceration and violence in prison. When Kim first entered prison in 2008, she was placed in a maximum security men’s facility where she feared revealing her transgender identity. She privately disclosed her identity to prison staff in 2013, hoping for gender-affirming health care and housing, but her requests were denied for years.
In 2020, DOC released its first trans housing policy, and in 2021, Kim was allowed to move to the women’s prison. Of the approximately 250 openly trans men and women in DOC prisons, only 11 are in gender-affirming housing. The state had never previously removed a trans person from such housing.
Since arriving at the men’s prison, Kim has been in solitary confinement. She was initially denied gender-appropriate undergarments and phone access. DOC claimed she was placed in segregation for refusing staff directions and attempting to assault them, a charge Kim denies.
While at the women’s prison, Kim made friends, completed a computer programming degree, and was close to earning her associate degree with high honors. Her transfer devastated her friends at the women’s prison, who described her as smart, funny, and generous. "She didn’t deserve this,” said Lisa Kanamu, an incarcerated woman who had grown close to Kim.
Source: HuffPost