New York Governor Kathy Hochul has proposed a policy to allow trans-identifying male inmates to be transferred into women’s prisons on the basis of a self-declared “gender identity.”
The policy states that inmates who have a ‘gender identity’ that differs from their biological sex will have the right to request placement in prison housing “with persons of the gender that is consistent with such person’s gender identity.”
Inmates who claim a transgender status also must “have access to department-issued undergarments and clothing that are consistent with the individuals’ gender identity, and shall have the ability to receive undergarments, clothing and personal care items through package procedures,” according to Hochul’s $216.3 billion budget proposal, which covers the state Department of Correctional Services and Supervision (DOCCS).
The proposed budget plan also orders the DOCCS commissioner to draft rules and train officers to “forbid discrimination against transgender inmates,” according to the New York Post.
This stipulation contradicts language in the proposal ostensibly granting wardens the final say on transfer requests, stating that decisions may be made on a “case-by-case basis” that takes into account “safety, security or health concerns.”
One inmate who may be eligible for transfer to a women’s facility is multi-convicted killer “Rona Sugar Love”, born Alberto Rodriguez Marrero, who shot and killed a homeless man for making a comment that he didn’t like while on parole for stabbing another individual 42 times. Marrero was also convicted in 1992 of shooting a woman point-blank in the head. Just prior to his third arrest for murder, Marrero was consulted by the Legal Action Committee on parolee needs.
Another future transfer could include Robert Glanowski, who claims a female identity and is currently a wanted fugitive after the rape of a 10 year-old child.
Leading news outlet The New York Times did not mention the gender identity policy when reporting on Gov. Hochul’s budget plan, which she has promoted as a spending plan for a “post-pandemic future” and a “more inclusive version of the American Dream.”
Including controversial measures in a budget proposal is a strategy for passing policies without public knowledge. Hochul’s tactic mirrors that of her predecessor, former governor Andrew Cuomo, who passed a strongly-contested policy legalizing commercial surrogacy by attaching it to a budget proposal designed to provide financial relief during the COVID-19 outbreak.
