The ‘Cruel and Unusual Punishment’ series by Independent Women’s Forum shares the voice of Tomiekia Johnson, one of the six plaintiffs in WoLF’s lawsuit to overturn self-ID laws in California’s prisons.

“California has re-abused me, re-traumatized me. It’s like I’m fighting every inch of the system to keep my sanity so I never come back.”

A new video by Independent Women’s Forum shares Tomiekia’s story of being forced to live with men in prison. The video is part of their ‘Cruel and Unusual Punishment’ series, which focuses on the harms of men being housed in women’s prisons based on their claimed “gender identity.” The series has also highlighted the experiences of former prisoners and law enforcement officers who have directly seen the harm of these policies.

WoLF has been Fighting Sb 132 Since Day ONE

In 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 132 (SB 132) into law. This legislation, which went into effect in January of 2021 as the “Transgender Respect, Agency, and Dignity Act.” This law allows men to “self-identify” as transgender,  nonbinary, or intersex and be housed in women’s facilities.

WoLF fought to prevent this law from going into effect as soon as it was introduced. When it passed, we filed a lawsuit on behalf of four incarcerated women, including Tomiekia, challenging SB 132. We asked the court to overturn this law and declare it unconstitutional.

Earlier this month, the case was updated to include two additional plaintiffs and pages of new evidence about the direct harm suffered by women like Tomiekia who are forced to live in prison with men.

The full case background and information on our plaintiffs is available here.

Tomiekia’s Story: From Domestic Abuse to Prison

Tomiekia is a bright woman from a loving family. She graduated college on a full scholarship. She worked as a 911 operator, for the state housing authority, and as a law enforcement officer. It seemed she had everything going for her in life — until she found herself in an abusive marriage.

Now, she is in prison for killing her abusive husband. One night when he was assaulting her, they both struggled to gain control of a gun. During the struggle, she accidentally shot and killed him. She was sentenced to a minimum of 50 years in prison.

“Instead of being treated like a victim of domestic violence, I was treated like a criminal,” Tomiekia told WoLF in 2021.

Women Forced to Live with Rapists

IWV’s new interview with Tomiekia shows how the situation has only gotten worse over the past four years — all while our lawsuit languishes in an overwhelmed and backed-up court system.

“This is not a place that is properly rehabilitating women anymore,” Tomiekia told IWF. “Women are continually being erased. Our rights are being placed second, third, to the men who are now housed in this facility.”

She details the daily inhumanity of being forced to live with violent men in prison, where she has no escape:

“I’ve seen nothing but manipulation. I’ve seen nothing but lies. I’ve seen nothing but hurt, and harm, and crimes committed against women.”

“You have condoms in the restrooms. What are condoms doing in a women’s institution restroom? All of a sudden we have male inmates here, and we have condoms.”

“It’s highly inhumane. It’s highly disrepectful of women.”

“The women’s prison is a microcosm… If they can get away with these policies and practices here, there is no doubt in my mind that this becomes implemented in society.”

Institutional Retaliation

WoLF’s amended complaint in our lawsuit to overturn these policies details how Tomiekia and other women face retaliation for reporting their experiences with men transferred into the women’s prison under SB 132:

“After Tomiekia, Cathleen, and another inmate reported Contreras for sexually harassing Cathleen, CCWF put all three women into solitary confinement.”

“CCWF issued the women violation reports, declaring that they “falsely reported” Contreras.”

To this day, Tomiekia continues to be subject to ongoing retaliation for filing grievances and speaking up for the rights and safety of herself and the women with whom she lives.

Support our work!

We thank IWF for sharing Tomiekia’s story, and raising awareness of our lawsuit! WoLF relies entirely on our generous donors to make this resource-intensive legal work possible.

Please consider donating just today to support this case and the brave women fighting for their rights inside California’s prisons! Amounts as small as $5 or $25 make a difference!

Note: Many of our supporters choose to give from their assets—stock gifts, grants from Donor-Advised funds, or Qualified Charitable Distributions from their IRA. Please consider if these “tax-smart” methods work better for you!