High-security jail hands out gender badges so inmates can display the pronouns they identify with
- HMP Isle of Wight has started giving out ‘pronoun badges’ to inmates
- The lilac badges give wearers the option to display him/he, she/her and they/them pronouns, a mix of non-binary options and one that reads: ‘Ask me!’
- Tory MP Tim Loughton said the move is ‘pandering to serious criminals’
- The high-security men’s prison holds over 1,000 inmates including sex offenders
A prison is to hand out badges letting inmates display gender pronouns they identify with.
In preparation for National Inclusion Week, HMP Isle of Wight said its equalities team had started giving out the ‘pronoun badges’.
Its official Twitter account said: ‘What’s your pronoun?’
But Tory MP Tim Loughton, who chairs the Commons home affairs committee, said that ‘woke has broken into prison too’, telling The Daily Telegraph the move was ‘pandering to serious criminals’.
The lilac badges give wearers the option to display him/he, she/her and they/them pronouns
The lilac badges give wearers the option to display him/he, she/her and they/them pronouns.
They also include a mix of non-binary options and one that reads: ‘Ask me!’
It was not made clear whether the badges would be given to prisoners, staff or visitors. Displaying pronouns can help people avoid ‘hurtful’ misgendering, according to charity Stonewall.
The prison is a high- security men’s jail across two sites with more than 1,000 inmates – including sex offenders.
The Government’s guidance on the prison says: ‘Isle of Wight is committed to providing a safe, secure and decent rehabilitative environment where men can learn new skills to help them in custody and on release.’
Tory MP Tim Loughton (pictured) who chairs the Commons home affairs committee, said that ‘woke has broken into prison too’, and said the move was ‘pandering to serious criminals’.
The Parole Board in March released a 14-page document called ‘Guidance on Prisoners who are Transgender’.
It advised parole panel members check prisoners’ preferred ‘form of name and term of address’.
It said: ‘This may require confirming at the appropriate point during introductions, how the prisoner wishes to be addressed in the hearing, then using the chosen name and gender-appropriate form of address.’
The document said if a panel member refers to somebody by the wrong pronouns ‘an immediate, simple apology is appropriate’.
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