Tara Hudson shares shocking details of men’s prison stint

A transgender woman whose stay in a men’s prison in Bristol sparked a national outcry and calls to change the way that trans people are treated by HM Prison Service has opened up about her ordeal after winning the campaign to be transferred to a women’s unit.

Tara Hudson was sentenced to 12 weeks in a Category B Bristol men’s prison for assault in October, where she says she was subjected to constant verbal abuse and sexual harassment from fellow inmates, as well “humiliating” strip searches by male officers.

The 26-year-old’s transfer to Eastwood Park women’s prison in South Gloucestershire – from which she has recently been released – came after a public campaign that saw almost 160,000 people sign a petition to have her moved over fears for her safety.

Her mother, Jackie Brookyln, previously revealed that her daughter is “a lot happier” since being transferred to the female unit, and Tara has since recounted her ordeal to the Western Daily Press, where she admitted her internment at the men’s prison left her feeling suicidal within a matter of days.

“When I walked into the prison, it was like a cat with five legs had entered the building,” Tara said.

“They were like animals in a zoo – shouting and banging on the doors. Most of them were really excited. Everyone thought I was an ordinary woman and they hadn’t seen one in a long time. It was all very sexual – they were very sexually excited.

“Even the guards were confused as to why I was there. When they greeted me at reception there was a look of panic in their eyes about how they were supposed to treat me.

“I was given men’s clothes – a t-shirt, tracksuit bottoms and boxers – to wear. Instead of wearing them, I didn’t take off my own clothes for the whole week I was in HMP Bristol.

“They also got a woman to strip-search my top half, but my bottom half was searched by men. I’m not self-conscious – but it was so humiliating.”

The make-up artist and glamour model – who began undergoing hormone replacement therapy at the age of 17 – said that the harassment and abuse from other inmates began as soon as she entered the facility.

“One whole side of the wing – about ten men – was shouting at me on my first night. On the first night it was mostly confusion and they were very flirtatious – asking me to see my boobs and my derriere. It was intense, aggressive and extremely uncomfortable,” she said.

“After that, they would call me ‘chick with a dick’, ‘trannie’, ‘shim’ or ‘hybrid’ and shout that the Lady Boys of Bangkok were in town. I even heard one say, ‘It should be shot’.

“Within hours of being there, I was bullied into showing my breasts through the hatch in my door.

“I thought if I didn’t do what they said, they would keep hassling me or do something worse. It was pretty scary. I just wanted them to stop.

“There was this tense, violent atmosphere – always. It was just so full of testosterone and anger. I really felt like I didn’t belong there.

“I had to be moved three times. At first, my window was next to a courtyard and there were people shouting stuff at me while I was inside. I was just sitting in my cell when all this was happening. It was very depressing, and I even felt suicidal at points.

“When we were allowed out for that one hour a day, I felt even more unsafe. No one touched me physically, but I was constantly on edge.”

She added: “I just wanted to get out of there. I felt so isolated. They treated me differently because I was a female in a male prison. It’s as simple as that.”

Since her release, Tara has called for Gender Recognition Certificates, which require individuals to prove that they have lived in their acquired gender in the UK two years, to be scrapped.

“More people will kill themselves if changes aren’t made,” said Tara, whose comments come less than a month after another trans prison inmate, 21-year-old Vicky Thompson, was found dead in a Leeds men’s prison, having previously threatened to take her own life if she wasn’t placed in a female facility.

“Transgender rights are 20 years behind gay rights. It is something that is only starting to come into the spotlight now.”

“I will do whatever I can to get this law changed. I can’t not.”

She added: “I’m so grateful to the people who signed the petition to get me moved. It was incredibly humbling.”

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