Sex swap prisoners get right to padded bras and make-up

Prison officers have been ordered to allow transsexual prisoners access to padded bras and make-up. A detailed new policy document drawn up by Kenneth Clarke's Ministry of Justice sets out the rights of sex change inmates, saying they must be allowed to purchase "gender appropriate" clothing from a home shopping catalogue. Jail warders, who are already required to address inmates by courtesy titles such as Mister, must call transsexual prisoners "Miss" or "Ms" under the new mandatory guidelines, which come into effect later this month.

The document also offers advice on other problematic issues when dealing with transsexual prisoners – such as access to prison showers – and urges officers to contact the Ministry of Justice's dedicated "gender recognition policy team" if they have questions about the policy. The 20-page guidebook, issued to prison governors last week, says: "An establishment must permit prisoners who consider themselves transsexual and wish to begin gender reassignment to live permanently in their acquired gender."



It says that concessions which must be made "include allowing prisoners to dress in clothes appropriate to their acquired gender and adopting appropriate names and modes of address". Transsexuals must be allowed access to items which help them adopt their new gender, the new rules say, such as medical prostheses and – in the case of those changing from male to female – padded bras and make-up to cover beard growth.

"Transsexual people, particularly those who have not undergone surgery or extended hormone therapy, may use various items to assist with their presentation in their acquired gender," insists the guide. "These can range from sophisticated prostheses to padded bras. Regardless of their level of sophistication, access to them can only be restricted in exceptional circumstances. These items may only be prohibited when it can be demonstrated that they present a security risk." Any prison which attempts to stop transsexual prisoners from having such items could be taken to court for judicial review, the paper warns.