JK: I will fund the legal actions of women forced to share prisons with men
JK Rowling has offered to bankroll the legal campaigns of female prisoners who have been forced to share jails with biological men.
Killer Jane Sutherley is considering legal action against the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) after she was forced to share facilities with transgender women.
She is one of potentially 'hundreds of women who have grounds for legal action' over the controversial trans policy, it was yesterday warned, and the wave of cases could end up costing a substantial sum.
And Ms Rowling, one of the world's most foremost campaigners on women's rights, has now revealed she would be willing to help fund the campaigns.
The Harry Potter author said: 'Of course I'd give financial backing to any women who wanted to sue because she suffered detriments through being incarcerated with a man.
'Women being locked up with men is a human rights violation. Vulnerable women being forced to agree that a man is a woman is a human rights violation.
'A surgically altered man is not a 'fully anatomical woman'. Saying these things is not hate, but truth.'
Latest public figures from the SPS reveal there are 16 trans prisoners north of the Border, including killer Alexandra Stewart who was born male and called Alan Baker.
Stewart was locked up with women at HMP Greenock, and struck up a relationship with child killer Nyomi Fee.
This week Sutherley was acquitted of a four-year long campaign against Stewart and Fee, and it is understood that she is now taking legal advice on action against the SPS.
Susan Smith, of For Women Scotland, yesterday warned the SPS that their policies broke the law and had done for years.
She warned: 'We imagine there are potentially hundreds of women who have grounds for legal action over a policy which was degrading, humiliating and breached their human rights as well as equality law.
'We have always said that it was only a matter of time before a prisoner took action.
'The Government and the SPS have been guilty of arrogance and complacency - as well as a brutal disregard for these vulnerable women - and it is likely to cost them a great deal.'
For Women Scotland are responsible for the stunning court room victory over the Scottish Government, one which has sent public organisations and private firms into a panic after their trans policies were ruled to be unlawful.
But rather than act immediately, many have insisted on waiting for the Equalities and Human Rights Commission to finish a consultation on its updated statutory guidance on applying the Equality Act.
In April's landmark Supreme Court ruling the words 'women' and 'sex' in the 2010 Act were found to refer to biological women and biological sex.
Following the judgment, the equality watchdog issued updated guidance, which said that trans women 'should not be permitted to use the women's facilities' in workplaces or public facing services such as shops or hospitals, with the same applying for trans men using men's toilets.
The SPS transgender policies are currently that trans prisoners can be housed in facilities of their desired gender, but this would only happen when 'staff have enough information to reach a decision that a trans individual can be safely accommodated'.
The service, which said it had an 'individualised approach', said it 'ensures that any transgender woman with a history of violence against women and girls, who presents a risk to women and girls, will not be placed in the women's estate'.
But Ms Smith said: 'The SPS has had ample warning that they were operating an unlawful policy.
'Even before our recent victory in the Supreme Court, the Inner House established that the sort of self-identification policies employed by the SPS were not permitted under the Equality Act.'
A Scottish Prison Service spokesman said: 'Our staff work hard to support the health, safety and wellbeing of all people living and working in Scotland's prisons.
'We have received the Supreme Court judgment and are considering any potential impact it may have.'
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