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(aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 2774 by Angharad Copyright© 2015 Angharad
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This is a work of fiction any mention of real people, places or institutions is purely coincidental and does not imply that they are as suggested in the story.
After all the excitement of the day I felt quite tired myself and went up to bed early. I checked on Danni. Standing inside the door looking at the quite feminine room, it was hard to believe she’d once been my son but seemed, at present at any rate, to have taken to girlhood like a duck to water.
I still wasn’t sure what I thought about it. Trish and Julie had been in role as girls when I first met them, Sammi had changed that first evening and never gone back—sound familiar? But Billie had taken some time to decide and then Danni had toyed with the trappings of girldom, makeup and frillies, which he said he enjoyed. Perhaps the rest was my fault, but in trying some saturation therapy, I made him agree to wear dresses and live like a girl for a month. Had he really screamed and yelled in protest, I’d have abandoned the idea. He didn’t and in fact accompanied me twice to Scotland, the second time to Ali’s memorial. That really shocked her, seeing the teenager hanging there. It was pretty awful and so sad. I felt awful—I’d arranged for her to have all her dreams come true at once and she was so overwhelmed, she killed herself.
Did I screw up Danielle? Possibly, I certainly as I said caused her to come from being an occasional thing to a permanent one, by trying to make her sick of the idea. Instead it rebounded on me and then when Pia did the mutilation, there was little option for the surgeon but to finish the job and do a vaginoplasty. Danni was quite ambivalent about it for some time then realised she could play football as a girl and being rather good at it, she made enough impact to get selected for the schools side at international level and then a full cap.
She has a real talent and since we talked things over with the FA and their supposed support of transgender players, although she hasn’t played since they claim it won’t affect her future selection. I remain to be convinced but she still believes in it so we all try to support her as best we can. Life isn’t easy for teenagers, transgender ones have an even tougher one—I know, got the tee shirt and scars to prove it.
I got into bed having a quick look at the Guardian. I was going to do some of the cryptic crossword but instead flicked through the paper. Apparently a girl in Bristol, who has spent all her adult life as female, head butted a bar manager and smashed his front teeth causing him fifteen hundred pounds worth of dental work. She was sent by the magistrates court to a male prison. As she looks very female, that had to be a mistake by the court and she subsequently suffered abuse from staff and inmates alike.
It appears she’d had six lots of surgery which seem to have achieved their aim but she obviously hadn’t gone for the legal reassignment by the Gender Review Panel. Had she done so and been a legal female like we all are, she’d have gone to a female prison after sentencing. It was said that she was sent down because she had a long list of convictions, mainly assaults and battery, so she has some sort of problem that needs some help. Who knows what caused it or why, but just possibly, if she was a feminine child, then abuse by others might have caused this uncontrolled anger. The bar manager was butted because he refused to sell her another drink, seeing as she was well inebriated.
That sort of attack is unwarranted and unjustifiable whoever carries it out, and as the bar manager found, can cause extensive damage/ injuries.
I fell asleep and dreamt I was with Danielle and we confronted her stalker. He got funny and I head butted him dropping him faster than a hot dish. Then were both in court and the judge sentenced us both to a year inside. I protested calling them mistaken but the magistrates decided I needed to be locked away
I woke wringing wet and was quite relieved to discover it was a dream probably precipitated by that silly woman in Bristol. After a quick wee, I returned to bed and the lovely Simon who was doing some practice laps around Monza. I nudged him and he rolled over on his side and the cacophony ceased—amazing things elbows.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t sleep thinking about Danni and that unfortunate girl in Bristol. I saw a picture of her on the BBC website and it appeared her one arm was covered in tattoos. While I know I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, it certainly would influence me if I was looking to employ her. I wrestled with my conscience for some time before agreeing with myself that she has every right to do what she wants with her body and I equally have the right to say that I didn’t like it. I certainly wouldn’t want a beautician or makeup artist to work on me who had loads of tats, but then perhaps I’m just old fashioned in thinking they look bad enough on sailors.
What would I do if Danni turned out like her, with a penchant for violence if she got drunk? I didn’t know, at the same time didn’t know if she would in any case. I hoped she wouldn’t. People with explosive tempers are difficult to deal with. My own was bad enough and that usually required some degree of provocation thought that could be provided in one go, someone hurting a child, for instance.
At two o’clock I gave up and went down for a cuppa. I was just making it when Danielle appeared. “What are you doing up, sweetheart?”
“Dunno, I was awake and heard you come down, thought I’d come and see if you were okay.”
“That’s very kind of you, now back up to bed with you.”
“Canni’ve a cuppa first?”
I sighed, I don’t approve of them being downstairs when they should be asleep. “All right, but then it’s straight back to bed, okay?”
“Yeah yeah, don’t keep on, Mum.”
I made the teas and we sat at the table. I told her about the woman in Bristol. “I saw that on the net—what were they thinking of sending her to a man’s prison?”
“She hadn’t bothered changing her legal status by the sound of it.”
“Silly cow, and why did she nut that guy in the bar?”
“He wouldn’t give her any more booze as she was quite drunk.”
“Why didn’t she go home then instead of rearranging his face, stupid cow.”
Teenagers tend to see things in black and white not looking at causes or consequences. Sometimes I envied them.
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Comments
Stroppy women
Why are we are thought of as the gentle sex when the fierceness of a mother's love is acknowledged (as is that of a failed artist - Erica Jong)? Recent history has unfortunately proved we can behave awfully too with a re-run of Hogarth's Gin Lane.
Rhona McCloud
Perhaps it's the stereotype
but females are normally seen as being the peacemakers, though there seems to be a general rise in females involved in violence in recent years. Except in self defence or the defence of the vulnerable, I believe that violence is unacceptable by any person.
Angharad
As Topical As Ever
This case should make us ask what prison is for. I'd argue that its primary purpose is to protect the public, and that this includes taking all reasonable steps to ensure that the inmate doesn't reoffend once they've been released. Surely the best way to achieve this is by creating a safe, comfortable environment for every prisoner, so that they can be helped to address the issues that led to the crimes they committed.
The loss of liberty should be punishment enough. Anything more smacks of vindictiveness.
Even ...
... Michael Gove seems to be of the opinion expressed in your last line, Nikki. One of the rare sensible things I've heard him say. He seems to be doing a better job as Secretary of State for Justice than he did at Education but that's not difficult :)
The transgender woman sent to a male prison to serve a term for assault seems to be quite violent person having previous form but sending her to a male prison is still unacceptable. It's hard to understand the motives of those who sent her there.
Robi
I think ...
those that made this decision are like many of the cops that Cathy has interacted with. They care more about checking boxes and following rules than thinking.
"Gender is male on her birth certificate? Off to mens' prison then."
Hopefully
this will be address, though I doubt the judge will be censored like he needs to be.
I have seen this actually
I have seen this actually happen in real life, We had two inmates that definitely were on the female side of the house, looks wise; and both placed in the federal prison I worked at. One was able to defend herself, as she had boxed at golden glove level prior to starting her transition. The other, not so much, however BOTH were placed into a cell together with no other inmates ever allowed in there with them. They were also given different shower times from the males, and jobs that required them both to be locked behind wire enclosures, for their safety, in the prison laundry, where they did repair sewing of uniforms that needed it.
The second woman was tall and very well endowed, (probably a D cup); and when she came into the dining hall the first time, that was when anyone knew she was in the prison. The entire 1000 inmates in the room at that moment, became dead silent and just stared. All of us officers were wondering what was going to happen, and thankfully nothing did.
One inmate working on the serving line, where I was standing to observe inmates going through it, asked me "when did they start putting women into this place?"; and I replied "hell if I know, I just hope the roof doesn't blow off".
After the initial surprise, everything over the next few weeks seemed to get back to normal, whatever normal in a prison is. The two of them were still there 3 years later when I promoted out to another facility, and both were model inmates during the time I was at the facility; even with all the pressures placed on them because of their sexual identity. Pressures from both inmates and minority of staff who did not care for them as persons. Yeah, that happens there also, just as it does out on the "streets" of freedom.
By the way, neither had completed their transition prior to incarceration and the federal government, at least in the 1970s would not pay to do so. So THAT was the rationale for them being in an all male facility, because they both still had their non-functioning male appendages. Hormones, which they both did receive, will do that for you. They both did have their legal identity documents stating female however.
Me, personally, I thought the decision was beyond stupid and still do, as they both should have been at one of the female federal prisons, such as Alderson, West Virginia or Ft. Worth, Texas.
Life only seems
to get complicated as you get older, Cathy is right seeing things in black and white is something to be envied , Trouble is its never that simple , Danni at the moment has yet to encounter the various shades of grey that life will bestow upon her .... i don't envy her when she does !
Kirri
Seeing things in 'black-and-white'.
Seeing things in 'black-and-white' is not the best view one can have of life.
Think of the emotions we'd lose, - feeling blue, seeing red, going green, being yellow, in the pink etc.
Still lovin' it. x
Liked Danni's POV.
Yeah, when will we get to see her in another football game? Been a while. Cathy'd better do a blue light scan on her skull just to make sure she's completely recovered.