Victims of transgender-identified, male-born California convict forced to police pronoun usage in court hearings
Victims of a transgender-identified, male-born California convict accused of raping fellow inmates at a California women’s prison will be forced to police their pronoun usage while recounting the alleged attacks on the stand, per a recent court order.
Tremaine “Tremayne” Deon Carroll, 52, identifies as a woman and must be referred to using she/her pronouns in court after a Madera County Court judge’s ruling. Carroll faces two charges of forcible rape and one of “dissuading a witness from testifying.”
Carroll, a violent offender, was housed in a women’s correctional facility by request. He was later transferred to a men’s facility following the indictment for rape, with District Attorney Sally Moreno stating, “This is a person who is not a woman in any sense of the word.”
The recent ruling on Carroll’s pronouns impacts Moreno’s ability to prosecute the case, she said. “This is a particular issue in this case because it’s confusing to the jury. In California, rape is a crime that has to be accomplished by a man,” Moreno noted.
Supervising Deputy District Attorney Eric Dutemple argued that the ruling is unfair to Carroll’s victims, stating, “It’s just absolutely insane that a victim would have to get on the stand and police their pronoun usage when trying to recite one of the scariest times of their lives.”
According to Amie Ichikawa, founder and executive director of Women II Women, Carroll did not identify as transgender or LGBTQ+ until SB 132 passed in 2021. Ichikawa noted, “The committee that’s reviewing these requests to transfer can’t use someone’s criminal history, physical attributes, sexual orientation, anything like that. Anything that you would think would be a factor that should be taken into consideration before transferring someone to a women’s prison is not allowed and deemed discriminatory.”
Carroll’s criminal history dates back to his teenage years, with charges of grand theft, possession of a firearm by a minor, and kidnapping, among others. He is currently serving a 25-to-life sentence for his third strike offense, a jewelry store robbery. In prison, Carroll committed various serious rule violations, including fighting with other inmates, refusing to obey orders, and filing false reports against peace officers. He also filed numerous complaints alleging racial discrimination and sexual misconduct by California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) employees.
