Ecstatic
02-18-2010, 01:08 AM
Guards will undertake special training in how to treat transgender prisoners when the prison block opens near Empoli, in Tuscany, in March.
Campaigners welcomed the initiative, the first of its kind, because they said transsexual prisoners face discrimination in Italy's mainstream prisons and are rejected by both male and female inmates. They often have to be segregated for their own safety.
Around 30 transgender detainees will be moved to the facility from a prison outside Florence, where they are currently serving their sentences.
Most were convicted for prostitution or drug-related offences. The governor of Lazio, the region which includes Rome, had to resign late last year after being caught up in a sex and drugs scandal involving Brazilian transsexual prostitutes.
One of the sex workers, known as Brenda, was later found dead in her apartment, after a fire broke out in the middle of the night.
The new facility, a former medium-security prison for women, includes a sports field, a library and an allotment producing olive oil and wine.
"It's a great idea. It will not be a ghetto but a way to avoid the experience of isolation in ordinary prisons," said Regina Satariano, the head of the Italian Movement for Transgender Identity.
The country's best known transsexual, former MP Vladimir Luxuria, said the new prison would enable transgenders to serve their time without being persecuted for their sexual identity. "It's a question of dignity."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...nssexuals.html
Campaigners welcomed the initiative, the first of its kind, because they said transsexual prisoners face discrimination in Italy's mainstream prisons and are rejected by both male and female inmates. They often have to be segregated for their own safety.
Around 30 transgender detainees will be moved to the facility from a prison outside Florence, where they are currently serving their sentences.
Most were convicted for prostitution or drug-related offences. The governor of Lazio, the region which includes Rome, had to resign late last year after being caught up in a sex and drugs scandal involving Brazilian transsexual prostitutes.
One of the sex workers, known as Brenda, was later found dead in her apartment, after a fire broke out in the middle of the night.
The new facility, a former medium-security prison for women, includes a sports field, a library and an allotment producing olive oil and wine.
"It's a great idea. It will not be a ghetto but a way to avoid the experience of isolation in ordinary prisons," said Regina Satariano, the head of the Italian Movement for Transgender Identity.
The country's best known transsexual, former MP Vladimir Luxuria, said the new prison would enable transgenders to serve their time without being persecuted for their sexual identity. "It's a question of dignity."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...nssexuals.html