Audio from the session: Gender and Prisons.
Prisons have long been used as a way to confine, control and monitor populations. Despite clear evidence that imprisonment is experienced at a far greater rate by groups who are already disadvantaged in society, prisons tend to be ignored as sites of social struggle and resistance. This session aims to examine the dynamics of prisons in New Zealand, with a particular focus on queer and trans* experiences.
Summary
In the recording titled "Session 12 - Beyond conference," Kelly Ellis and Jan Logie engrossingly delve into the complexities surrounding gender and prisons, focusing particularly on the experiences and legal hurdles faced by transgender individuals within New Zealand's penitentiary system. The session, held at Wellington High School, presents a deep dive into the advancements and challenges in transgender rights, especially regarding the legal and social support afforded (or denied) to trans prisoners.
Kelly Ellis, a key voice featured in the session, has devoted two decades to advocating for trans prisoners. In recent years, as a lawyer and following their own transition, Ellis has intimately understood the nuances and needs of this marginalized group. No stranger to the poignancy and fascinating aspects of this advocacy, Ellis emphasizes the dynamic evolution of transgender law, which sees faster legislative changes compared to other areas, albeit still laced with significant struggles.
Ellis brings to the table a wealth of knowledge as a criminal lawyer, juxtaposing the regression in New Zealand's search and seizure rights with the comparatively progressive transgender legislation. Yet, as Ellis points out, despite the forward movement, the journey is far from over, particularly in criminal law courts, which have exhibited a departure from liberal interpretations of the Bill of Rights Act that once favored the defense.
The account moves on to discuss specific cases that Ellis has been involved with, highlighting the heart-wrenching plights of trans individuals in the criminal justice system. These cases bring attention to the dire need for legal changes and the harsh treatment trans people often face in prison. A common thread in the narratives is the consistent challenge trans individuals encounter when seeking to begin or continue gender-affirmation treatment, such as hormone therapy, behind bars.
More broadly, Ellis touches upon the resistance encountered from within the trans community itself. This reveals tensions around authenticity and who gets to be considered "legitimately" trans, underscoring the complexity and internal conflicts inherent in such advocacy work.
The session seamlessly threads together personal anecdotes, legal insights, and policy critique. It weaves a rich tapestry of the social, legal, and moral facets of advocating for trans prisoners' rights. By interlacing the academic with the practical realities of law and societal prejudice, the conversation unflinchingly confronts the listener with the multifaceted struggles trans individuals face – struggles that extend well beyond the walls of prison and into the heart of societal acceptance and legislative justice. The recording ultimately stands as a testament to the endurance and the unmet needs of an often silenced and marginalized community within the criminal justice system.
This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.
Voices
Tags
2010s, activism, amnesty international, angela davis, anne tolley, aotearoa new zealand, bill of rights act (1990), capitalism, captive genders, cara gledhill, community, critical resistance (usa), depression, diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (dsm), discrimination, drugs, employment, equal justice project (auckland), equality, facebook.com, gender, green party, health, homosexual law reform, hormone replacement therapy (hrt), howard league for penal reform, human rights, human rights act (1993), human rights commission, jan logie, kelly ellis, law, marriage, marriage amendment act (2012), marriage equality, ministry of justice, new zealand labour party, oppression, orange is the new black (tv), police, politics, poverty, prison, racism, rape, regulations review committee, ruatoki raids, safe sex, salvation army, serco, social media, stonewall riots (1969), support, surgery, the new jim crow, the queer avengers (wellington), three-strikes law, to be who i am (2008), transadvocates health, transgender, transition, violence, wellington, work and income (winz)
Tags (computer generated)
1930s, abuse, academics, access, africa, agenda, alcohol, alienation, ambassador, androgynous, anger, animals, anti discrimination, army, arrest, assault, atheism, auckland, australia, bear, belief, binary, birth certificate, board, boat, books, boosted, branding, brothels, building, busted, california, camp, campaigns, canada, cancer, cannabis, career, change, cheese, children, chinese, choice, christmas, class, classism, close up (television), coming out, commodification, conference, conformity, connect, connections, conservative, council, courts, crime, crying, culture, data, death, declaration, denial, diet, difference, diversity, divorce, drag, drag queen, drawing, drug abuse, dysphoria, economist, education, email, empowerment, environment, escape, examination, face, family, family violence, farm, fear, fishing, friends, fruit, fun, gay, gender dysphoria, gender identity, gender reassignment surgery, god, government, grain of salt, gratitude, hate, health care, hepatitis, heritage, high court, history, homophobia, hospital, hotel, housing, hug, hunters corner, identity, identity documents, identity politics, imprisonment, injustice, internet, intolerance, isolation, job, joe, justice, kicked out, labels, language, lawyer, legal aid, legislation, lesbian, liberation, liberty, listening, loss, macho, mainstream, makeup, marion street, marketing, marriage equality, mass incarceration, media, mental health, mentor, middle class, minority, modeling, movies, murder, music, myth, māori, naming, national party, nature, navigation, new york city, news, opportunity, other, outdoors, outreach, pacific, pain, parents, people, persona, planes, podcast, policy, power, prisoners, protest, punishment, queen, queer, race, radical politics, radio, rainbow, reading, reconnect, records, rehabilitation, relationships, representation, research, resistance, respect, retirement, review, running, safety, security, self determination, self help, sewing, sexual abuse, sexual offenders, sexual orientation, shorts, silence, smoking, social, space, sport, statistics, stereotypes, stigma, stole, straight, stress, struggle, stuff, success, suicide, surgeon, surveillance, teeth, tension, testing, thailand, time, tolerance, touch, tough, tradition, training, trans, trans woman, transphobia, travel, treat, trick, trust, understanding, united kingdom, united nations, unnatural, urban, vienna, voice, vote, walking, water, wine, women, work