Valerie Jenness,University of California, Irvine and Sarah Fenstermaker, University of Michigan

Tevin Brown

Agnes Goes to Prison

Valerie Jenness,University of California, Irvine and Sarah Fenstermaker, University of Michigan

Gender & Society

Since the beginning of time our world could simply be divided into two groups: female and male. However, many are challenging this notion, especially recently. Some individuals believe that it is in their best interest to be seen as the opposite of the sex they were given. Due to gender roles and expectations of how each gender should behave, these individuals do not believe they are suited for the bodies they were born into. They wish to be acknowledged on the “outside” as they feel on the “inside.”Valerie Jenness,University of California, Irvine, and Sarah Fenstermaker, University of Michigan, study this concept by observing one the most gender segregated institutions in the United States – prison. They investigated how transgender females behave and fair in prisons for men.

They begin their article by referencingHarold Garfinkel’s “Agnes.” Written in 1967, this book was fairly ahead of its time. It tells the story of a woman who went to the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Clinic in search of surgery to rectify the “mistake” of her penis; however, her actions were seen only as passing. Garfinkel theorized that “Agnes” was seeking social acceptance. “Agnes” was perfectly comfortable with how she was “inside” but she sought out to been seen the same way “outside.” Raewyn Connell reminded us of Garfinkel’s work in 2009. Connell reaffirms that Agnes’s issue was “contradictory embodiment.” Her body contradicted who she really was. At least it did by society’s standards. Jenness and Fenstermaker wished to relate what Garfinkel and Connell stated years prior to what goes on in prisons today.

It is approximated that nearly half of all transgender inmates in the United States reside in one of California’s 33 prisons. Jenness and Fenstermaker gathered data and conducted original interviewsin 27 California prisons for men from 315 transgender inmates. The average time of their interview lasted close to an hour. They classified this subgroup using four categories: 1) self-identification as a transgender, 2) appearance as transgender or feminine in prison or outside of prison, 3) medical treatment for something associated with how she presents or thinks about herself physically and/or mentally, and 4) participation in groups for transgender inmates. They observed and interviewed about how the harsh conditions of prison would affect this subgroup’s behaviors.

In short, Jenness and Fenstermaker conclude that transgender inmates act in way to be seen as authentically female. They have the pursuit of what prisoners call the “real deal.” However, this quest for the real deal is often unrealized. These transgender inmates cannot hide their personalities and appearances in institution of a prison, so non-transgender prisoners will inevitably have an unequal outlook on them. All these inmates want is a sense of belonging and recognition, but because of society’s binary gender norms, these goals may never be reached in an authority-driven, male community.