The grim tth of beg gay prison | Sadhbh Walshe | The Guardian

Contents:

• THIS IS WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO GO TO JAIL IN ENGLAND JT FOR BEG GAY
• COOMA JAIL: PRISON THAT WAS ONCE 'WORLD'S ONLY JAIL FOR GAY MEN'
• CATEGORY ARCHIV: GAY & BISEXUAL
• THE GRIM TTH OF BEG GAY PRISON
• HOW TO FD A GAY PRISONER PENPAL AND WHAT TO KNOW WHEN YOU DO

THIS IS WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO GO TO JAIL IN ENGLAND JT FOR BEG GAY

Although a signifint number of prisoners actively engage nsensual or ercive sexual relatns wh fellow prisoners, homophobia prevails. Officially the Prison Service has said that “do not ndone or facilate sexual relatnships between prisoners”, but every prison the untry has a “ndom policy”, while staff generally follow the tac “don’t ask, don’t tell” ambiguy and hypocrisy means that sights about the realy of the prison experience for gay men and women prison are hard to e the Howard League for Penal Reform unrtook an pennt missn to review the nature and sle of sex prison earlier this year, requts by rearchers to speak to servg prisoners were blocked by the Mistry of Jtice.

COOMA JAIL: PRISON THAT WAS ONCE 'WORLD'S ONLY JAIL FOR GAY MEN'

One gay man explaed how he was forced to live unr the “protectn” of another prisoner and subjected to “sexual torture” over a prolonged perd. ” Others said they had sexual partners who were outwardly “macho” and “anti-gay” and were stag relatnships wh wiv or girliends through letters and viss – the were “jail gays”, they said, “gay on the si”, but apparently straight on the outsi. Gay men ashamed of beg gay, straight men feelg forced to pretend to be anti-gay.

A unique and enlighteng new book of lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) prison experienc, wrten by prisoners and staff om HMP Parc south Wal, may fally brg about change. The book, Insi and Out, was the ia of the prison’s arts terventn and muny cln manager, Phil Forr, himself a gay man who “me out” at work five years has been nng Parc’s monthly LGBT support group for more than two years. It’s both about tacklg homophobia and challengg people who exprs views that are unacceptable and about gettg people to feel fortable wh themselv and more motivated to buy to a rehabilative culture prison and society.

CATEGORY ARCHIV: GAY & BISEXUAL

Anthony’s story Anthony, prisonerI always knew I was gay – even as a small boy – but I also knew that the Traveller muny this was totally not acceptable and was seen as a mental problem. I ed to thk that beg gay was wrong and felt ashamed of , but I don’t anymore.

When that happened I never had any support om anyone else, not even others who were bisexual or gay. The majory of prisoners felt that gay, bisexual or transgenr people were sick and as a rult you were nstantly targeted jt for beg the way you are.

THE GRIM TTH OF BEG GAY PRISON

It’s a lot down to the environment you are livg and the attus of those around officer’s view Gny, prison officerMaybe ’s bee the gay muny the prison is rather small that relatnships are so cliquey, or maybe ’s bee this job is possibly only sued to strong dividuals, that so many gay women f so well. I was told the other day by a client: “Leave some women for will ya, ”… news had obvly got out that I had a date on the relatnship Daniel, prisonerBeg gay prison is difficult.

I have spent a lot of my adult life si and although I am gay I never told anyone. Other prisoners would crack jok and say bad thgs about gay men and I would jt have to listen.

HOW TO FD A GAY PRISONER PENPAL AND WHAT TO KNOW WHEN YOU DO

I am not the sort of guy that you would look at and say “he’s gay”, as I look like everyone else – a b rough – and I have a reputatn for beg que hard.

He is old now – 81 – but the events of his youth, when Bra hated gay men, still is 50 years this month sce the laws forbiddg sex between men were overturned England and Wal – laws that led to the nvictn of World War II breaker Alan Turg, the rceratn of Osr Wil, and thoands more jailed like Biddlebe.