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The judge tells the court to respect the pronouns of the rapist who now wants to be known as a woman

Posted on by Nargang
The judge tells the court to respect the pronouns of the rapist who now wants to be known as a woman

A California judge has ordered a court to respect the pronouns chosen by an inmate accused of rape, despite prosecutors’ concerns that the inmate was exploiting legal protections for transgender convicts.

Madera County Judge Katherine Rigby ruled last week that prosecutors must refer to transgender inmate Tremaine Carroll, 52, by female pronouns.

Carroll is accused of raping two women and impregnating a third while incarcerated at the Central California Center for Women in Chowchilla, where she was serving 25 years for robbing a jewelry store.

Carroll was housed at the all-female prison after being transferred from a men’s prison, despite previously admitting kidnapping charges and facing other sexual assault charges.

California’s Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act means she was able to switch prisons without any evaluation or evidence of transition, according to Madera County District Attorney Sally Moreno.

“This is a person who is not a woman in any sense of the word,” Moreno said ABC7 while she criticized Rigby’s decision.

Moreno said the pronoun issue complicates his ability to try Carroll for rape.

The judge tells the court to respect the pronouns of the rapist who now wants to be known as a woman

A California judge has ordered a court to respect the pronouns chosen by double-rape inmate Tremaine Carroll, despite prosecutors’ concerns that the inmate is exploiting legal protections for transgender convicts.

Judge Katherine Rigby said prosecutors must refer to transgender prisoner Carroll, 52, by female pronouns

Judge Katherine Rigby said prosecutors must refer to transgender prisoner Carroll, 52, by female pronouns

“That is a special issue in this case because it is confusing to the jury. In California, rape is a crime that must be committed by a man,” she said.

Supervising Assistant District Attorney Eric DuTemple said the decision was unfair to the alleged victims.

“It’s just insane that a victim would have to get on the stand and control their use of pronouns when trying to recount one of the scariest moments of their lives,” he said.

Carroll was accused of raping two of his cellmates and charging another woman.

“After his first cellmate got pregnant and was moved to Los Angeles, two other cellmates of his complained that he raped them, so we filed rape charges against this inmate,” said Moreno.

One of the women previously told DailyMail.com how she was left with lasting trauma after allegedly being attacked by Carroll in the shower.

The accused has since been transferred to Salinas Valley State Prison for Men and is due back in court in January.

The decision was criticized by District Attorney Sally Moreno, who said the pronoun issue complicates her ability to prosecute Carroll for rape because California law states that it is a crime that can only be committed by a man.

The decision was criticized by District Attorney Sally Moreno, who said the pronoun issue complicates her ability to prosecute Carroll for rape because California law states that it is a crime that can only be committed by a man.

Carroll is accused of raping two women and impregnating a third while incarcerated at the Central California Center for Women in Chowchilla.

Carroll is accused of raping two women and impregnating a third while incarcerated at the Central California Center for Women in Chowchilla.

California's Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act means she could switch prisons without any transition evaluation or evidence, but Carroll has now been transferred back to Salinas Valley State Prison for Men (pictured) in light of the allegations.

California’s Transgender Respect, Agency and Dignity Act means she could switch prisons without any transition evaluation or evidence, but Carroll has now been transferred back to Salinas Valley State Prison for Men (pictured) in light of the allegations.

Women’s rights group Wolf argued that Rigby’s decision could have a chilling effect on prosecutions.

“For lawyers who want to zealously advocate for their clients, rulings mandating the use of pronouns make their practice more difficult and dangerous,” the organization said.

“CDCR is committed to providing a safe, humane, respectful and rehabilitative environment for all incarcerated individuals,” the corrections department said in a statement.

“Senate Bill 132, the Transgender Respect, Agency, and Dignity Act, took effect on January 1, 2021.

“Allows incarcerated transgender, non-binary, and intersex individuals to request to be housed and searched in a manner consistent with their gender identity.

“CDCR reviews each transfer request under Senate Bill 132 to determine whether the move, based on individual case factors, would present a safety and management concern.

“Across all of our facilities, CDCR thoroughly investigates all allegations of sexual abuse, sexual misconduct, and sexual harassment in accordance with our zero tolerance policy and the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act. CDCR does not comment on cases under litigation.’