Equality under the law does not apply to inmates of the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, California. This is the nature of the lawsuit filed, by the ACLU and a private law firm, on behalf of GBT inmates and former inmates at the West Valley Detention Center.
Melissa Goodman of the Southern California ACLU is spearheading the lawsuit which seeks to change the treatment of GBT inmates at the West Valley Detention Center.
“West Valley practices a two-tier form of punishment for GBT inmates that is unconstitutional,” Goodman stated in a phone interview. “GBT inmates are denied basic services that straight inmates receive such as rehabilitative programs and work opportunities. Government discrimination against GBT people is not okay just because a person happens to be in jail.”
Goodman went on to state, “I hope this lawsuit will shine a light on the discriminatory practices of the California correctional system. There is a practice of absolute denial of education and work opportunities because of the sexual orientation and gender identity of GBT inmates. The victory of LGBTQIA+ equality has yet to change this two-tier system of punishment, in which straight inmates get access to programs that are denied to GBT inmates.”
LGBTQIA+ people are human and they sometimes make mistakes that land them behind bars. The correctional system of California is horrific for many LGBTQIA+ people. The reality of LGBTQIA+ behind bars is a far cry from the porn fantasy of being in jail. It is not a free for all sex romp with other inmates and correctional officers. It is an isolating and harsh environment, labeled as protective custody.
I recently spoke with a former inmate of the West Valley Detention Center. His description of the “gay pod” is nightmarish and inhumane. The “gay pod” was established to keep gay inmates separate from the general population in jail. This separation was deemed necessary, due to the violence and attacks leveled against gay inmates from the straight inmates.
Here’s my interview with a former West Valley inmate, who asked that he be identified by his nickname, Sweet and Low.
WW: Did you know about the lawsuit filed against West Valley?
S&L: Yes, I received a letter from a lawyer when I was in jail. They were asking for information about the conditions in West Valley.
WW: What was it like in West Valley Detention Center?
S&L: It was horrible. They didn’t give us a change of clothing and we used the same sheets for over a month. Cleaning was at night and some guards wouldn’t let us out, to clean the day room. They wouldn’t give us cleaning supplies. MRSA infections were going around and we needed to keep things clean.
WW: What’s MRSA?
S&L: It’s like a staff infection only worse because antibiotics don’t work well on it.
WW: What was the population like?
S&L: The whole place is political and segregated by gangs. There are Latino gangs, black gangs and there’s even a gang in the gay pod.
WW: What is the gay gang?
S&L: It’s called the GBG.
WW: GBG?
S&L: It means–gay boy gangsters. Some of the inmates have been in detention for a long time. There is a “boss” of the GBG. He makes all the rules about what happens in the gay pod. He was nice but you had to follow his rules. You aren’t in the GBG just by being gay. I think you get initiated into the GBG in prison. I don’t what the initiation is.
WW: That sounds pretty bad.
S&L: It is and I was locked up for 22/3 hours a day in a cell — unlike straight inmates. They get out of their cells during non-sleeping hours. We only got out once a day. They let us use the phone, take a shower and order commissary and then we went back to lock up. They only release you from your cell for a few hours, a day, sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the afternoon. If you don’t have a cellmate then you are basically in solitary confinement the rest of the time, just for being gay. You aren’t allowed to work like straight inmates, you can’t work in the kitchen, laundry, maintenance or anywhere. You also can’t take any of the classes. Just sit in your cell.
WW: What did you do for those 22 hours?
S&L: Slept, cried, dreamed of going home. I ate too but there was no hot water and we couldn’t get out of the cell to get hot water, to make a cup of noodles.
WW: How were you treated?
S&L: They treated us like animals. The guards hated us and said nasty homophobic things to us. There was one guard, who we called the nice guard. Sometimes he would let us out for an hour or two, in the evening. When I went to court, they put me in a cage, in the bus. I felt like a dog. They said, “ I had to be kept separate and protected from the other straight inmates, who were not caged in the bus.” When I got to court they put me into holding cell with the inmates from Patton.
WW: Patton?
S&L: That’s the state prison hospital for the criminally insane. It made me feel terrible. I got in trouble because a Patton inmate started peeing on the floor, in front of me, and I freaked out. It was like I was being given extra punishment and treated like I was crazy just because I’m gay.
WW: What were you jailed for?
S&L: I was arrested on a domestic charge. Other guys were in the gay pod for that too but most were drug offenders, either meth or weed.
WW: So, the gay pod was mostly gay men addicted to some sort of drug?
S&L: Basically. Drugs and theft. Meth is a big drug in California.
WW: The West Valley website says, “The facility provides medical, dental and mental health services and facilitates worship services to various denominations. The WVDC also provides a full range of inmate instruction programs in the fields of culinary arts, laundry services, and landscape maintenance.”
S&L: Gay inmates don’t get any of that. They called us, “Alternative Lifestyle” and when I went to medical I had to be isolated from everyone. They were afraid we all had AIDS and would infect them. I guess it was like the way black people were segregated, back in the day. You know, separate water fountains, bathrooms, and back of the bus, kind of stuff. It’s like being lower than the low. I got a letter from a lawyer. There’s a lawsuit about the whole thing and I hope they win. It’s the worst thing, I’ve ever experienced in my life. It was like out of horror movie.
WW: You’re out now. How are you doing?
S&L: I’m back home with my boyfriend. I have a job and a really great dog. I’m trying to get back on track. I still have bad flashbacks from West Valley. I hope that things will change so that no one else has to experience what I experienced. Gay people are treated differently, from straight people, in jail. It’s so wrong.
Unfortunately, the experience of Sweet and Low is not unique or isolated but part and parcel of an atmosphere of discrimination entrenched in the California correctional system. Making a mistake and going to jail doesn’t give “the powers that be” a license to openly discriminate against LGBTQIA+ people. The system is corrupt, broken, and those who enforce the laws are often guilty of worse crimes than those they incarcerate.
Life is not all Sunday brunches, cocktail parties and vacations in South Florida for many LGBTQIA+ people. There is homelessness, addiction, medical conditions and lack of family support that leaves many LGBTQIA+ people wandering in the wilderness of human insensitivity. It is not enough to care about these issues and wish that things were different. It is up to each of us in LGBTQIA+ community to DO something, reach out, volunteer, speak out and work to make changes.
Melissa Goodman from the ACLU recommends, “Write to your elected official about these issues. They don’t often hear from voters about these types of issues.” The ACLU’s lawsuit against West Valley is currently in the discovery phase with a court date to be set in the future. Check out the ACLU’s Southern California website for more information.
https://www.aclusocal.org
For more information about equality issues and to know your rights please visit the ACLU website https://www.aclu.org
