No Pride in Prisons Ōtepoti are offering their support to an alleged sexual assault offender who has been described by Police and the media as a “man dressed as a woman”. The organisation does not condone any acts of sexual violence however are concerned for the safety of the alleged offender. The alleged offender, who appeared in the Dunedin District Court this morning was said by Police to be dressed as a woman, carrying a jacket and handbag. No Pride in Prisons say “The offender was described as being Māori or Polynesian, wearing women’s clothing and having long hair. They allegedly sexually assaulted “another man” on the morning of the 26th of June.” “Our organisation is incredibly concerned about potential backlash towards this person from the Dunedin community,” says No Pride in Prisons Ōtepoti member Scout Barbour-Evans. “We are also very conscious that transgender people face immense discrimination and violence in the criminal justice system, so we are concerned for the safety of this person.” “We are reluctant to assume anything about the gender identity or sexuality of this alleged offender, however due to the nature of this sexual assault we are incredibly concerned for their safety in the prison system.” According to Barbour-Evans, “We believe in restorative justice and rehabilitation, and we do not believe the Department of Corrections stands to provide either of these things. Locking away vulnerable people and members of minority groups only puts those people at further risk of harm. Incarceration does not fix societal problems, it only works to exacerbate them.”
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 8th July 2016 - 12:13pm