“It is a policy that is used to cover up something that they are really not supposed to be doing, but they do it anyway. [It functions as] a smokescreen to where, it keeps them covered at all times, knowing that it’s not right… I’m at a loss for words.”
I’m writing with an update from Bambi Nicole King. We recorded her last month after she was transferred from the Wabash Valley Prison to a county federal jail in Leitchfield, Kentucky.
Bambi Nicole King recently called to report about her transfer to the county jail in Leitchfield, Kentucky where she is being held on a federal detainer. Wabash Valley Prison in Indiana was not a friendly place, but the jail in Kentucky is terrible on another level, especially for trans folks. Bambi is risking retaliation and escalation of her mistreatment by exposing this abuse and discrimination through her commentaries with us, to get the truth to the outside.
LISTEN HERE: “Challenges of Transitioning in Prison”
Almost as soon as she was transferred to Grayson County Detention Center, Bambi was placed in administrative segregation and was denied access to her regular mental health services. Her mail has been withheld and thrown away, and she has faced discriminatory officer abuse that she had to complain about multiple times before anything was done.
She called us this week with a disturbing new update: her jail has an unofficial, “blanket policy” that all officers and staff are to refer to trans prisoners with “male anatomy” as a man, regardless of gender identity. She says, “They just do not recognize your gender, they do not recognize it all.”
The jail has refused to allow her to see any record of this policy and has refused her review requests. Her complaints have been dismissed and ignored. This institutional stance by the Grayson County Detention Center is part of a broader, systemic issue in prisons nationwide.
Transgender people in prison report frequent and lengthy stays in solitary confinement. Recent studies indicate that around 90 percent of trans prisoners have experienced solitary confinement at some point during their incarceration. Trans prisoners often only have access to doctors who are discriminatory and/or unfamiliar with the issues transgender people face. Many are denied access to gender-affirming healthcare and transition support.
The VERA Institute published a detailed report earlier this year, entitled Advancing Transgender Justice. Many of these topics are explored in greater detail in this report, which you can read here.
“Transgender people in prison shared, in urgent and vulnerable ways, that they felt targeted and scared because they are transgender. Prison is harmful and difficult for everyone—and transgender people in prison face additional obstacles and risks related to discrimination and threats.”
Bambi is asking for any help she can get, whether that be any kind of “lawyer, attorney or advocate that deals with civil rights, especially LGBT and trans rights.” Consider reaching out and offering words of support, or looking at how you can get involved in other forms of prisoner solidarity in your area. The state tries to isolate folks on the inside from sources of community and support, but we cannot let them get away with it.
You can send mail to Bambi while she is in Grayson County Detention Center at:
Roger King #250624
320 Shaw Station Road
Leitchfield, Kentucky 42754
Her “Commit Name” must be used for mailing purposes, but please remember to use her preferred name and pronouns when contacting her!
In Solidarity,
Leo Dugan