Sabrina Samone, TMP
Ashely Diamond says, in a recent 11alive news segment, that
she was raped and mistreated in a male jail cell in Georgia.
Diamond, 36, was serving time for burglary, theft by
receiving, and escaping police custody in Floyd County. During that time, she
said she was raped, ridiculed and tormented by inmates and staff at five
different Georgia prisons, including Baldwin State Prison and Georgia State
Prison.
“I really didn’t know what to expect,” Diamond told the
local reporters in Atlanta. “As soon as
I got there, I was immediately told to strip in front of other men. Of course,
there were stares and hollers. It was one of the most humiliating moments of my
life.”
According to Diamond, the assaults began immediately. She
said she was “targeted right away.” “It
was an every night thing,” She said of the attacks. “The staff turned a blind
eye to it all. I think that the gangs run the prisons. I think that I was extorted
and used.”
She was also denied hormonal therapy, which she had been
taking for almost 20 years to enhance her feminine characteristics and suppress
masculine features.
“My body began to morph, which was very painful. I literally
thought I was going to die. I was very vocal from the beginning about needing
my therapy.”
Since being released from prison, things have not been any
easier for Diamond, who is currently living in Rome, Ga., the town she grew up
in.
“Not everyone, in Rome, has warmly received me, but I
definitely am fighting for a change in the prison system.”
Ashley Diamond's experience continues to bring to light the issues faced by transgender people, male or female identified, to be placed in a jail cell with those representing the opposite gender, is an act of violence against transgender individuals. A crime in itself, committed by law enforcement and others in charge of forcing the law. Every state has prisoner rights and this is in violation of those rights. Someone with the appearance and characteristics of a female, placed alone, behind bars, with men is inhuman and a human rights issue.
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