The California State Senator ignored pleas from incarcerated women to stop the transfers of men under SB 132

During a virtual town hall on Wednesday, California state Senator Scott Wiener responded to concerns from constituents about SB 132, a bill he authored that allows violent male felons to be housed in women’s prisons based solely on their self-proclaimed gender identity. The backlash to the bill, which recently began implementation, comes following a campaign by Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF) and Woman II Woman to raise awareness about the devastating impact the bill has had on incarcerated women. 

After the passage of SB 132, nearly 300 inmates have requested transfer from men’s to women’s prisons. With only a fraction of those requests fulfilled, women in Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF), the world’s largest women’s prison, have reported cruel conditions and state-sanctioned abuse since the men started arriving at the facilities. WoLF is working with women incarcerated in this facility, one of whom was physically assaulted by a new male transfer. Now, sources inside the prison tell WoLF that at least one woman may be pregnant after being housed with a male inmate. 

In his four-and-half minute response on SB 132, Wiener did not once address the concerns of these women. Instead, the state senator resorted to smearing the women bravely speaking up on this issue (despite great personal risk and consequence) as “right-wing,” “TERFs,” and “fake news.”

Lauren Adams, WoLF Legal Director, said, “This complete disregard for the most vulnerable women in society, whose care is entrusted to the state, is appalling from a so-called ‘progressive’ politician. There is a scared pregnant woman locked in a cage right now because Scott Wiener championed a men’s rights bill that allows rapists to self-identify into women’s prisons. Where is the concern for her rights or safety?”

WoLF and Woman II Woman have spoken to over 100 women currently in CCWF and the California Institution for Women, the state’s second-largest women’s prison. In heartbreaking letters and phone calls, these women have recounted their fears of being housed with men. 

Amie Ichikawa, founder of Woman II Woman and formerly incarcerated in CCWF, said, “The terror, abuse, and cruelty incarcerated women are experiencing because of Scott Wiener’s bill is not ‘fake news.’ I speak to these women every single day. They are devastated. They don’t understand how their elected officials, especially those who claim to care about justice reform and protecting women of color, could turn a blind eye to what is happening here.”

WoLF warned lawmakers in 2019, before SB 132 passed, that this bill would result in harm to incarcerated women. Wiener, Newsom, and the California legislature have ignored these concerns from the beginning, refusing to listen to the lived-experience of incarcerated women — over eighty percent of whom have been victims of sexual, physical, or domestic abuse.

In June, WoLF issued a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom, Attorney General Rob Bonta, and Department of Corrections Secretary Kathleen Allison demanding an immediate halt to the transfers of men into women’s prisons. Over 4,000 people have signed WoLF’s demand letter in support.

Add your name to the demand letter: https://tinyurl.com/sign-stop132 

For more information about this campaign: http://stopSB132.com

Media inquiries please contact: media@womensliberationfront.org