‘I Worry For My Survival’: Ga. Transgender Woman Ashley Diamond Fights To Be Moved Out Of Men’s Prison
Former Georgia state lawmaker and university regent Dean Alford was sentenced to eight years in prison for racketeering on Oct. 7.
Associated Press
It will be at least a month before a federal judge hears arguments for an emergency order that would transfer Ashley Diamond to a Georgia’s women’s prison.
Diamond, who is Black and transgender, first sued the Georgia Department of Corrections six years ago, after nearly a dozen alleged sexual assaults. Attorneys say the state also denied her medical care and necessary hormones.
Diamond was able to release a statement to WABE on her case, and what this could mean for all incarcerated trans people:
“My experiences in the Georgia Department of Corrections have been a blow to the heart of a believer. When I sued Georgia six years ago, there were supposed to be changes to the way trans people are treated in prison, but when I was put back in for a technical parole violation, I found little had changed. Since my return to custody, I’ve been put in a series of men’s prisons where I’ve been sexually assaulted and abused 16 times. I’ve had trouble getting the healthcare I need. Everyday, I worry for my survival.”
“Why would you put a woman in a men’s prison? What do you expect to happen? The message Georgia is sending trans people in custody is that our lives and existences simply do not matter. But I know better. Trans people deserve safety. And we deserve healthcare, even in prison. And I will fight until change happens, even though it won’t be easy.”
“I believe in my lawyers and those who support better treatment of trans prisoners, but I also know what evil exists and that hatred is still embedded in every brick of every city of every courthouse and jail, and that’s a tough pill to swallow. But I will never stop fighting.”
WABE’s “All Things Considered” host Jim Burress spoke with her attorney, Chinyere Ezie, of the Center for Constitutional Rights, and started by breaking down a section of that statement.
The Georgia Department of Corrections did not respond to WABE’s requests for comment.
Top Stories
