Petition following brutal violence by Groningen woman (47) born as a man in women's prison.
Petition following brutal violence by Groningen woman (47) born as a man in women's prison.
8 hours ago
Quote:Petition following brutal violence by Groningen woman (47) born as a man in women's prison. 'Trans women are a danger to female fellow inmates'
Transgender people born as men do not belong in women's prisons. This is the opinion of the Voorzij Foundation, which is submitting a petition to that effect in The Hague on Tuesday. The immediate cause: a transgender inmate from Groningen (47) beat up a female guard in a women's prison last year. The guard was no match for the physically stronger inmate.
"A man is a man and can never become a woman." Chairwoman Caroline Franssen (64) of the Voorzij Foundation has a strong opinion about transgender people. "A man without a penis is not a woman. Not biologically, not physically. Trans women incarcerated often still have their penises. But even without one, they pose a danger to female fellow inmates."
The transgender person mentioned from Groningen stabbed a man to death at his home on Verlengde Frederikstraat in the city in April 2024 and was in pre-trial detention in the Ter Peel women's prison in Limburg. There, a visit to the recreation area was refused, after which the person set fire to the cell. The female guard who wanted to intervene was attacked out of nowhere and was rescued with difficulty by colleagues. She was seriously injured with two fractures in an eye socket, possible permanent eye damage, and other injuries.
The stabbing took place on April 23, 2024, on Verlengde Frederikstraat in Groningen. Photo: Archive/ Noordernieuws
The serious incident—brutal violence is rare in a women's prison—fuels Franssen in her fight. "As a woman, you are naturally no match for a biological man who presents himself as a woman. Not in sports, not in the locker room, not in prison."
Lawyer: ‘difficult matter’
The transgender woman from Groningen was sentenced to 9 years in prison and compulsory psychiatric treatment for stabbing the man to death and assaulting the guard, and is now incarcerated in the Zwolle Penitentiary Institution, which has both men's and women's sections. Lawyer Maikel Horsch is representing the trans woman. “She has been placed in a mixed ward of the psychiatric center. But she would prefer to go to a women's wing.”
The lawyer speaks of ‘difficult matter’. “My client feels like a woman; she was also addressed as ‘Ms.’ in the courtroom. But she has the characteristics of a man; she is biologically a man as well.”
That is why the lawyer understands the call to no longer house trans women among female detainees. “In detention, we see special wards for terrorists, for example, because you like to isolate them. That also applies to sex offenders, because they are quite often at risk among fellow prisoners. Why not a separate ward for transgender people as well? That would tackle the problem.”
Activists from the Voorzij Foundation with banners at the courthouse in Dordrecht. Iratxe Alvarez Hernandez
Pornography with trans woman in Veendam
Another recent case involving a trans woman is currently being handled in the Northern Netherlands. In March 2025, the court sentenced a 40-year-old trans woman from Veendam to 3.5 years in prison and conditional TBS (no involuntary commitment) for possessing and distributing ‘the most disgusting child and animal pornography’. This detainee’s lawyer is not responding to callback requests from this newspaper.
Women are a distinct minority in the Dutch prison system. Only 6 percent of all people in detention in 2024 were women, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). On average, they also serve only a short time: 80 percent are incarcerated for a maximum of 3 months, and 60 percent for less than a month. Franssen: “So you are falsifying history and tampering with statistics if you record male criminals as women. It simply doesn’t add up.”
But the biggest problem is the lack of safety for women within the walls with men in their midst. “We are dealing with vulnerable women, who often have experiences with exploitation and sexual violence. That makes them extra vulnerable,” says Franssen. “Moreover, incarcerated trans women often have a mental disorder.” The former journalist and lawyer works as an independent coach and primarily trains therapists. She has been fighting for women’s rights her ‘entire life’.
‘No dick in the women’s lick’
Together with supporters in the Voorzij Foundation, Franssen protested against trans women in women’s prisons in 2023. With slogans such as ‘No dick in the women’s lick’, they expressed their displeasure at the fact that a sex worker born as a man was locked up in women’s prison De Peel. The transgender woman had killed a client with 214 stab wounds and was sentenced to 14 years in prison for it. And there are more examples like this.
Franssen denounces the privileges of transgender people in the Netherlands. “Society must go along with someone who thinks he was born in the wrong body. Otherwise, you do not respect him as a human being. Cross-dressing, homosexuality, it is all fine. But biologically speaking, you cannot change a gender,” says Franssen. Tomorrow she will submit the petition, which has been signed over 2,300 times, to the Standing Committee on Justice and Security of the House of Representatives.
Trans woman
The archive link is a Dutch article, which is translated here above. It makes me angry that this can happen and that it's seen as progressive to allow this.
Quote:Petition following brutal violence by Groningen woman (47) born as a man in women's prison. 'Trans women are a danger to female fellow inmates'
Transgender people born as men do not belong in women's prisons. This is the opinion of the Voorzij Foundation, which is submitting a petition to that effect in The Hague on Tuesday. The immediate cause: a transgender inmate from Groningen (47) beat up a female guard in a women's prison last year. The guard was no match for the physically stronger inmate.
"A man is a man and can never become a woman." Chairwoman Caroline Franssen (64) of the Voorzij Foundation has a strong opinion about transgender people. "A man without a penis is not a woman. Not biologically, not physically. Trans women incarcerated often still have their penises. But even without one, they pose a danger to female fellow inmates."
The transgender person mentioned from Groningen stabbed a man to death at his home on Verlengde Frederikstraat in the city in April 2024 and was in pre-trial detention in the Ter Peel women's prison in Limburg. There, a visit to the recreation area was refused, after which the person set fire to the cell. The female guard who wanted to intervene was attacked out of nowhere and was rescued with difficulty by colleagues. She was seriously injured with two fractures in an eye socket, possible permanent eye damage, and other injuries.
The stabbing took place on April 23, 2024, on Verlengde Frederikstraat in Groningen. Photo: Archive/ Noordernieuws
The serious incident—brutal violence is rare in a women's prison—fuels Franssen in her fight. "As a woman, you are naturally no match for a biological man who presents himself as a woman. Not in sports, not in the locker room, not in prison."
Lawyer: ‘difficult matter’
The transgender woman from Groningen was sentenced to 9 years in prison and compulsory psychiatric treatment for stabbing the man to death and assaulting the guard, and is now incarcerated in the Zwolle Penitentiary Institution, which has both men's and women's sections. Lawyer Maikel Horsch is representing the trans woman. “She has been placed in a mixed ward of the psychiatric center. But she would prefer to go to a women's wing.”
The lawyer speaks of ‘difficult matter’. “My client feels like a woman; she was also addressed as ‘Ms.’ in the courtroom. But she has the characteristics of a man; she is biologically a man as well.”
That is why the lawyer understands the call to no longer house trans women among female detainees. “In detention, we see special wards for terrorists, for example, because you like to isolate them. That also applies to sex offenders, because they are quite often at risk among fellow prisoners. Why not a separate ward for transgender people as well? That would tackle the problem.”
Activists from the Voorzij Foundation with banners at the courthouse in Dordrecht. Iratxe Alvarez Hernandez
Pornography with trans woman in Veendam
Another recent case involving a trans woman is currently being handled in the Northern Netherlands. In March 2025, the court sentenced a 40-year-old trans woman from Veendam to 3.5 years in prison and conditional TBS (no involuntary commitment) for possessing and distributing ‘the most disgusting child and animal pornography’. This detainee’s lawyer is not responding to callback requests from this newspaper.
Women are a distinct minority in the Dutch prison system. Only 6 percent of all people in detention in 2024 were women, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). On average, they also serve only a short time: 80 percent are incarcerated for a maximum of 3 months, and 60 percent for less than a month. Franssen: “So you are falsifying history and tampering with statistics if you record male criminals as women. It simply doesn’t add up.”
But the biggest problem is the lack of safety for women within the walls with men in their midst. “We are dealing with vulnerable women, who often have experiences with exploitation and sexual violence. That makes them extra vulnerable,” says Franssen. “Moreover, incarcerated trans women often have a mental disorder.” The former journalist and lawyer works as an independent coach and primarily trains therapists. She has been fighting for women’s rights her ‘entire life’.
‘No dick in the women’s lick’
Together with supporters in the Voorzij Foundation, Franssen protested against trans women in women’s prisons in 2023. With slogans such as ‘No dick in the women’s lick’, they expressed their displeasure at the fact that a sex worker born as a man was locked up in women’s prison De Peel. The transgender woman had killed a client with 214 stab wounds and was sentenced to 14 years in prison for it. And there are more examples like this.
Franssen denounces the privileges of transgender people in the Netherlands. “Society must go along with someone who thinks he was born in the wrong body. Otherwise, you do not respect him as a human being. Cross-dressing, homosexuality, it is all fine. But biologically speaking, you cannot change a gender,” says Franssen. Tomorrow she will submit the petition, which has been signed over 2,300 times, to the Standing Committee on Justice and Security of the House of Representatives.
Trans woman
The archive link is a Dutch article, which is translated here above. It makes me angry that this can happen and that it's seen as progressive to allow this.