Boston, MA, April 2…In a race against the biological clock transgender rights advocates are trying to save convicted murderer Michelle Kosilek’s female identity before she reverts back to Robert Kosilek, her former male self.
According to the Associated Press, Robert Kosilek was convicted of murdering his wife in 1990 when she poured boiling tea on his genitals. While serving a life sentence he changed his name legally to Michelle and began the biological process of becoming a woman. With the help of the Transgender Law and Policy Institute he was granted a court order requiring that he be given hormone therapy. But his request for sex-change surgery to complete the transformation has not been granted. In addition, he has been denied court-approved hair-removal treatment and access to a specialist to monitor his rising testosterone levels.
And now Kosilek is watching with alarm as he slowly becomes a man again.
“My breasts have shrunk, genitals have regained previous size and function,” Kosilek said in a letter submitted to the court. “[I am] dying inside a little bit every day.”
Doctor George Brown, a psychiatrist, who testified at Kosilek’s trial, says he suffers from “gender dysphoria” in which a person identifies with the opposite sex and feels that he or she was born in the wrong body.
This is a condition of extreme mental agony, psychiatrists have said. Kosilek has already attempted suicide twice and once tried to castrate himself. Dr. Brown said he would probably try to kill himself again if denied a sex-change operation.
Kosilek is one of many inmates who have petitioned for sex-change treatment. In Colorado, convicted child molester Christopher, “Kitty” Grey is receiving hormone shots and watching Kosilek’s case closely.
“I am a woman in a man’s prison,” he told the Denver Post. “That’s like putting a cat in a dog kennel.”
As Kosilek testified, two small but vocal counterdemonstrations were taking place outside the courthouse.
Leah Schildkraut, gender advocate for the Anarcho-Feminist coalition, marched in support of Kosilek. “ Michelle Kosilek is a victim of the patriarchal conspiracy against female identity,” she said.
Across the street Efraim Durg, founder of Save Our Sanity, said his organization had supported the “Inmate Sex Change Prevention Act,” which was proposed last year by a Wisconsin State Senator, but never brought to the floor. “The man’s in prison for murdering his wife,” he said. “He forfeited his rights.”
“He is already being punished for his crime,” Ms. Schildkraut said in response. “He has a Constitutional right to medical treatment.”
“Oh yeah?” Durg said. “Should we use taxpayer dollars to finance his sick fantasies?”
“Should we use taxpayer dollars to finance frivolous legislation that never makes it out of committee?” Ms. Schildkraut replied.
“Oh yeah?” Durg shouted. Momentarily at a loss for words he thought for a moment. Then shouted:
“You look like you already had a sex change operation.”
“You look you should have one,” Schildkraut shouted back. “It might be an improvement.”
“Oh yeah?” Durg said, taken aback. “Oh yeah, bitch?” As police moved between them he screamed, “Hey bitch. Oh yeah…?”
