This week after years long wait, I was informed that my request for gender affirming surgery has been scheduled and will occur in Late October 2025!

My journey to Gender Affirming surgery has not been easy and instead has been full of lessons learned. I have spent many nights up reading policy and studying laws simply to have a better understanding of this system that is beyond broken.

The concerns regarding transgender care within New Jersey prisons has made headlines in the past. From Trans-women attempting suicide at alarming rates to the prevalence of sexual violence within the men’s facilities. The New Jersey Department of Corrections, has quietly rolled back protections for the Transgender community and has created a group of DOC officials to make decisions regarding the housing and treatment of transgender persons. The prisons remain dangerous for trans prisoners, especially those who are and have undergone surgery.

My feelings regarding the treatment of Transgender people within NJDOC has remained unchanged. The system claims to care about Transgenders, yet leadership has failed to ensure that each facility complies with the Federal mandate (which yes still supports Transgenders), as a result of inconsistent and arbitrary policies, many of the facilities fail to meet basic needs for the Transgender population.

Many of the staff working within central offices of NJDOC have agreed to change policies that were designed to protect Transgender women, these changes have led to trans-women struggling to find access to clothing consisted with their gender and safety when in actual danger.

While In Northern State Prison, I endured months of being housed with a child predator. The reason why my placement with a child molester was so shocking was because the DOC knew of my history of trauma and sexual abuse. NJDOC has a system that is designed to separate vulnerable inmates from those who are convicted of sex crimes. Yet, because of overlooked policies and unsympathetic staff, Prison officials regularly allow trans-women to be housed around people who victimize vulnerable people.

The most dangerous part of the mistreatment that Transgender women suffer in the New Jersey Department of Corrections is in the medical/mental health department where staff are often unqualified to treat Transgenders and often misinforms patients regarding hormones and access to gender Affirming Surgery. Due to the lack of unqualified staff within NJDOC the department has relied on outside vendors to provide services to the Transgender community. However, several of the private providers have raised concerns regarding the treatment of Transgenders within DOC facilities, which has led to them no longer being used by DOC. The current doctor is only housed in the women’s prison, thus making it difficult to have face-to-face interactions and meaningful evaluation

Several inmates requesting Gender Affirming Surgery and gender Affirming housing have also given up on the system and years long wait; they chose to mutilate themselves causing DOC to provide them with vaginoplasty and a prison transfer. Following these painful acts of self harm, the NJDOC has failed to make meaningful changes to policy that provide safety for trans-women who have sadly been harmed by unsafe policies and facilities.

Even after several years of fighting for Gender Affirming Surgery (formally known as Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS)), I still find myself having to ask for safety and adequate treatment. Yet, there is still a lack of toward looking policies within DOC. What policy does exist gives the DOC the power to place a Transgender with female genitals in a male facility with men. The DOC through its PREA Accommodation Committee (PAC), has disregarded the safety views of Transgender women despite being obligated by Federal Regulations (Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA)) to give serious consideration to the safety views of Transgender inmates. CFR 115.42(g)

I will perhaps be the first to return from a Gender Affirming Surgery and be housed in the men’s facilities. For the last several years I have taken the necessary steps to focus on my gender identity issues and mental health. I have spent many days crying and struggling with anxiety, depression and self-loath from the common abuse and discriminatory treatment that I endure.

While some people disagree with the entire Transgender community and ideas; I do believe we can all agree that no one deserves to endure sexual abuse and be placed in violence. Hence, placing a Transgender woman who the DOC has allowed to undergo Gender Affirming surgery in the men’s prison amounts to unsafe and cruel treatment.

Today, I write this because we should all be alarmed when vulnerable members of our community are placed in unsafe situations. I know that there is much debate out there surrounding the rights and recognition of Transgenders. I believe that as a Transgender woman myself, I must speak up when incorrect narratives are being used to harm other LGBTQ persons. I do not believe that this world must agree with my views on life, I do not belief that we must stand by and allow more bad things to happen to trans people before saying; ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

You see when we allow, agencies to mistreat vulnerable populations that mistreatment begins to thrive and subsequently reaches other communities and incarcerated persons. Allowing abuse to occur against anyone regardless of race or Gender identity is wrong and should not he tolerated.

If Religion tells us one thing, its that we should love everyone and speak up against wrongdoings. We don’t have to be Democratic or Republicans to agree that society is safer when we eradicate all forms of violence and discrimination.