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| ====== The "Trans Women Offend Like Men" Myth: Prison Data Manipulation ====== | ====== The "Trans Women Offend Like Men" Myth: Prison Data Manipulation ====== | ||
| + | |||
| + | //Now updated with more recent 2024 numbers thanks to // [[https:// | ||
| ===== The Transmisic Claims ===== | ===== The Transmisic Claims ===== | ||
| - | **Claim 1**: "The data seems to say that trans women offend in an identical way to men." | + | Claim 1: "The data seems to say that trans women offend in an identical way to men." |
| - | **Claim 2**: "Trans women are convicted of sexual offenses at rates of about 1,177 per million—higher than men' | + | Claim 2: "Trans women are convicted of sexual offenses at rates higher than men' |
| - | **Any claim suggesting**: | + | Any claim suggesting: |
| - | * Over-representation of trans women in prisons for " | + | |
| - | * Trans women are per-capita more likely to commit " | + | |
| - | * Trans women pose a greater risk/threat to cisgender people | + | |
| - | * Based on prison composition statistics or "The Swedish Study" | + | |
| - | **All of these claims** rely on the same statistical manipulation techniques and misrepresentations of studies and fact, which we'll break down below. | + | * Over-representation |
| + | | ||
| + | | ||
| + | * Based on prison composition statistics or "The Swedish Study" | ||
| + | This Image: | ||
| + | |||
| + | {{: | ||
| + | |||
| + | All of these claims rely on the same statistical manipulation techniques and misrepresentations of studies and fact, which we'll break down below. | ||
| ===== What the Prison Data Actually Shows ===== | ===== What the Prison Data Actually Shows ===== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Updated figures as of March 2024: | ||
| ^ Population ^ Total ^ Sex Offenders ^ Percentage ^ | ^ Population ^ Total ^ Sex Offenders ^ Percentage ^ | ||
| - | | Trans women prisoners | 129 | 76 | 58.9% | | + | | Trans women prisoners |
| - | | Cisgender men prisoners | 78,781 | 13,234 | 16.8% | | + | | Cisgender men prisoners | ~80,000 | ~13,600 | 17.0% | |
| - | | Cisgender women prisoners | 3,812 | 125 | 3.3% | | + | | Cisgender women prisoners | ~3,800 | ~76 | 2.0% | |
| + | |||
| + | Source: UK Ministry of Justice, March 2024 | ||
| ===== The Sleight of Hand: Several Tricks in One ===== | ===== The Sleight of Hand: Several Tricks in One ===== | ||
| Line 27: | Line 37: | ||
| ==== Trick #1: Comparing Percentages of Wildly Different Groups ==== | ==== Trick #1: Comparing Percentages of Wildly Different Groups ==== | ||
| - | You're comparing | + | You're comparing |
| - | **The Classroom Analogy** | + | The Classroom Analogy |
| - | | + | |
| - | * Classroom B: 78,781 students, 13,234 like chocolate = 16.8% | + | * |
| - | Does Classroom A "like chocolate more"? No. Classroom B has **174 times more chocolate lovers**—it just looks smaller as a percentage because the classroom is massive. | + | Does Classroom A "like chocolate more"? No. Classroom B has 90 times more chocolate lovers—it just looks smaller as a percentage because the classroom is massive. |
| ==== Trick #2: Ignoring Who Gets Counted ==== | ==== Trick #2: Ignoring Who Gets Counted ==== | ||
| - | Here's what they don't tell you about that "129 trans prisoners" | + | Here's what they don't tell you about that "245 trans prisoners" |
| - | **The MoJ only counts trans prisoners who:** | + | The MoJ only counts trans prisoners who: |
| - | * Have had a "case conference" | + | |
| - | * Have disclosed their trans status | + | |
| - | * Don't have a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) | + | * |
| + | * | ||
| From the MoJ itself: | From the MoJ itself: | ||
| Line 49: | Line 60: | ||
| > " | > " | ||
| - | **Why this matters**: Sexual offenses carry longer sentences. So you're only counting the subset of trans prisoners most likely to be sex offenders, then treating that as representative of all trans people. | + | Why this matters: Sexual offenses carry longer sentences. So you're only counting the subset of trans prisoners most likely to be sex offenders, then treating that as representative of all trans people. |
| - | **From the BBC article**: | + | From research analysis: |
| > "Trans prisoners on shorter sentences—who won't be in the survey—are less likely to be sex offenders." | > "Trans prisoners on shorter sentences—who won't be in the survey—are less likely to be sex offenders." | ||
| - | This is **selection bias**. It's like surveying people at a gym and concluding "most people exercise regularly." | + | This is selection bias. It's like surveying people at a gym and concluding "most people exercise regularly." |
| - | ==== Trick #3: The Completely | + | ==== Trick #3: The Fabricated |
| - | This number **appears in no source document**. Let me show you how it was likely manufactured: | + | When critics cite inflated per-million figures, here's the reality: |
| - | They took: 76 ÷ 129 = 58.9% | + | The actual calculation (if you wanted to do per-capita, which still has problems): |
| - | Then multiplied by... something? The number is made up. | + | * UK trans population: ~48, |
| + | * Trans women sex offenders in prison: 151 | ||
| + | * Rate: 151 ÷ 48,000 × 1,000,000 = 3,146 per million | ||
| - | **The actual calculation** (if you wanted to do per-capita, which still has problems): | + | Wait, that's even higher! Except it' |
| - | | + | |
| - | * Trans women sex offenders in prison: 76 | + | * It excludes those with GRCs |
| - | * Rate: 76 ÷ 48,000 × 1,000,000 = **1,583 per million** | + | * It's subject to the selection bias above |
| + | | ||
| - | Wait, that's even higher! Except | + | === Bonus: Statistical Invalidity === |
| - | * That 76 only counts | + | |
| - | * It excludes those with GRCs | + | Beyond selection bias, the sample size of 245 creates a critical problem: statistical volatility. |
| - | * It' | + | |
| - | * **Prison composition ≠ offense rates** | + | With only 245 trans prisoners recorded, any small fluctuation dramatically changes percentages. Six additional cases shifts the rate by 2.4%. Sixty additional cases? A significant shift in the narrative. |
| + | |||
| + | Any competent statistician would flag this as unsuitable for policy conclusions. Real research on rare populations uses confidence intervals—ranges showing uncertainty—which are conspicuously absent here. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Without confidence intervals, you're presenting a point estimate (151 people) as if it's a stable truth, when it' | ||
| ==== Trick #4: Misusing the Swedish Study ==== | ==== Trick #4: Misusing the Swedish Study ==== | ||
| Line 82: | Line 100: | ||
| This study: | This study: | ||
| - | * Only examined 324 people who had full surgical transition | ||
| - | * Covered 1973-2003 (decades old) | ||
| - | * Found NO difference in the later cohort (1989-2003) | ||
| - | * Has been repeatedly misrepresented | ||
| - | **See our full article**: [[debunking-swedish-study|The Swedish Study: What It Actually Says]] | + | |
| + | | ||
| + | * Found NO difference in the later cohort (1989-2003) | ||
| + | * Has been repeatedly misrepresented | ||
| + | |||
| + | See our full article: [[debunking-swedish-study|The Swedish Study: What It Actually Says]] | ||
| //Short version: It doesn' | //Short version: It doesn' | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Trick #5: Weaponizing the Base-Rate Fallacy ==== | ||
| + | |||
| + | People are cognitively wired to notice percentages more than population scales. When told "61.6% of trans prisoners vs. 17.0% of cis male prisoners are sex offenders," | ||
| + | |||
| + | This isn't accidental. The base-rate fallacy—ignoring population frequency in favor of specific numbers—is how the manipulation becomes persuasive. A detailed breakdown follows below. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Trick #6: Visual Propaganda—Icon Arrays as Emotional Manipulation ==== | ||
| + | |||
| + | The claims are often accompanied by infographics using icon arrays—rows of small human figures representing per-million rates. When these graphics circulate on social media, they use this technique to devastating effect. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Here's the sleight of hand: | ||
| + | |||
| + | What the graphic shows: Rates (per million), not counts. | ||
| + | |||
| + | What your brain perceives: A "dense array of people" | ||
| + | |||
| + | The reality: Those densely packed icons represent fewer than 160 people total—a population so small that statistical noise dominates the picture. | ||
| + | |||
| + | When you see hundreds of icons and are told "this represents trans women sex offenders," | ||
| + | |||
| + | This is why icon arrays are propaganda tools when applied to rare populations and rates. They conflate two completely different things: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Counts (absolute numbers: "151 people" | ||
| + | * Rates (per million) communicate frequency, but when visualized as icon counts, they lie about scale | ||
| + | |||
| + | The correct visualization: | ||
| + | |||
| + | Instead, the graphic uses per-million rates displayed as icons, manufacturing visual horror from statistical smoke. | ||
| ===== What Counts as a " | ===== What Counts as a " | ||
| - | Before we analyze the numbers, we need to understand what " | + | Before we analyze the numbers, we need to understand what " |
| ==== The Full Scope of UK Sexual Offenses ==== | ==== The Full Scope of UK Sexual Offenses ==== | ||
| Line 99: | Line 147: | ||
| Under UK law, " | Under UK law, " | ||
| - | **Serious violent offenses:** | + | Serious violent offenses: |
| - | * Rape and attempted rape | + | |
| - | * Sexual assault and attempted sexual assault | + | |
| - | * Child sexual abuse offenses | + | |
| - | * Indecent assault | + | |
| - | **Non-violent | + | |
| - | * Possession of indecent images | + | * Sexual assault and attempted sexual assault |
| - | * Distribution of indecent images | + | * Child sexual abuse offenses |
| - | * Making/ | + | * Indecent assault |
| - | * Voyeurism | + | |
| - | * Exposure/ | + | |
| - | * Outraging public decency | + | |
| - | **Sex work-related | + | Non-violent and non-contact |
| - | * Soliciting for prostitution | + | |
| - | * Loitering for prostitution | + | |
| - | * Controlling prostitution | + | |
| - | * Keeping a brothel | + | |
| - | * Advertising sexual services | + | |
| - | **Other sexual offenses:** | + | |
| - | * Sexual activity in a public toilet | + | |
| - | * Breach of Sexual Harm Prevention Order | + | * Making/ |
| - | * Failure to register as sex offender | + | * Voyeurism |
| - | * Various consent and age-of-consent related charges | + | * Exposure/ |
| + | * Outraging public decency | ||
| - | ==== Why This Matters ==== | + | Sex work-related offenses: |
| - | When someone hears "76 trans women sex offenders," | + | * Soliciting for prostitution |
| + | * | ||
| + | * | ||
| + | * | ||
| + | * | ||
| + | |||
| + | Other sexual offenses: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Sexual activity in a public toilet | ||
| + | * | ||
| + | * | ||
| + | * | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Why This Matters ==== | ||
| - | * Someone convicted of soliciting for sex work | + | When someone hears "151 trans women sex offenders," |
| - | * Someone who failed to register an address change as a former offender | + | |
| - | * Someone caught with downloaded pornography | + | |
| - | * Someone convicted of public indecency | + | |
| - | * Someone convicted of rape or sexual assault | + | |
| - | **These are NOT equivalent crimes**, yet they' | + | |
| + | | ||
| + | * | ||
| + | * | ||
| + | * | ||
| + | * | ||
| + | These are NOT equivalent crimes, yet they' | ||
| ==== The Sex Work Factor ==== | ==== The Sex Work Factor ==== | ||
| - | Trans women, particularly trans women of color, are **disproportionately pushed into survival sex work** due to: | + | Trans women, particularly trans women of color, are disproportionately pushed into survival sex work due to: |
| - | * Employment discrimination | + | |
| - | * Housing discrimination | + | |
| - | * Family rejection | + | |
| - | * Lack of economic opportunities | + | |
| - | **Research shows**: | + | |
| - | * Trans women are far more likely to engage in sex work than cisgender women | + | |
| - | * Trans women in sex work face higher rates of criminalization | + | * Family rejection |
| - | * Many " | + | * Lack of economic opportunities |
| + | * | ||
| + | Research shows: | ||
| - | This means the " | + | * Trans women are far more likely to engage in sex work than cisgender women |
| + | * Trans women in sex work face higher rates of criminalization | ||
| + | * | ||
| - | ==== The Emotional Manipulation ==== | + | This means the " |
| - | Using the term " | + | ==== The Emotional Manipulation ==== |
| - | **The reality**: The category ranges from rape to soliciting, and treating them as equivalent | + | Using the term " |
| - | **What we know**: | + | The reality: The category ranges from rape to soliciting, and treating them as equivalent is intellectually dishonest. |
| + | What we know: The MoJ data tells us 151 trans women prisoners had sexual offense convictions. What we don't know: The distribution of those offenses across the wide spectrum of UK sexual offense law. | ||
| ===== Why Prison Data Can't Tell You Crime Rates ===== | ===== Why Prison Data Can't Tell You Crime Rates ===== | ||
| - | **What prison data shows**: Of the prisoners we have right now, here's the breakdown. | + | What prison data shows: Of the prisoners we have right now, here's the breakdown. |
| - | **What it doesn' | + | What it doesn' |
| - | **Why? Because you need:** | + | Why? Because you need: |
| - | | + | |
| - | * Reporting rates | + | * |
| - | * Conviction rates | + | * |
| - | * Sentencing patterns | + | * |
| - | * Who's still in prison vs. who's been released | + | * |
| - | **The absurd example**: "75% of maximum security prisoners are violent offenders, therefore 75% of people are violent." | + | The absurd example: "75% of maximum security prisoners are violent offenders, therefore 75% of people are violent." |
| Obviously wrong—but that's the exact error being made. | Obviously wrong—but that's the exact error being made. | ||
| Line 182: | Line 235: | ||
| ===== The Per-Capita Problem ===== | ===== The Per-Capita Problem ===== | ||
| - | When population sizes differ by **600+ times**, per-capita rates become meaningless. | + | When population sizes differ by 600+ times, per-capita rates become meaningless. |
| - | **Watch what happens**: | + | Watch what happens: |
| ^ Group ^ Convictions ^ Population ^ Rate per 10,000 ^ | ^ Group ^ Convictions ^ Population ^ Rate per 10,000 ^ | ||
| - | | Trans women | 76 | 48,000 | 15.83 | | + | | Trans women | 151 | 48,000 | 31.46 | |
| - | | Trans women (+6 more) | 82 | 48,000 | 17.08 | | + | | Trans women (+12 more) | 163 | 48,000 | 33.96 | |
| - | | Cisgender men | 13,234 | 29,177,200 | 4.54 | | + | | Cisgender men | 13,600 | 29,000,000 | 4.69 | |
| - | | Cisgender men (+6 more) | 13,240 | 29,177,200 | 4.54 | | + | | Cisgender men (+12 more) | 13,612 | 29,000,000 | 4.69 | |
| - | **Six additional cases**: | + | Twelve |
| - | * Changes trans women rate by **7.9%** | + | |
| - | * Doesn' | + | * |
| + | * | ||
| This is why per-capita fails with vastly different population sizes. Small absolute changes create huge percentage swings in the smaller group. | This is why per-capita fails with vastly different population sizes. Small absolute changes create huge percentage swings in the smaller group. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== The Base-Rate Fallacy in Action ==== | ||
| + | |||
| + | All five tricks rely on the same cognitive bias: the base-rate fallacy—ignoring the overall frequency of something in a population while fixating on a percentage that seems dramatic in isolation. | ||
| + | |||
| + | When you hear "61.6% of trans prisoners are sex offenders," | ||
| + | |||
| + | What disappears: the base rate—that you're comparing 151 people to 13,600 people, and that trans women comprise just 1.1% of all sex offense convictions. | ||
| + | |||
| + | This happens because percentages feel more vivid than population scale. Your brain excels at processing " | ||
| + | |||
| + | Restore the base rate by asking: "Of all sex offenders, what percentage are trans women?" | ||
| + | |||
| + | The sections below demonstrate this fallacy mathematically. | ||
| ===== What IS a Fair Comparison? ===== | ===== What IS a Fair Comparison? ===== | ||
| - | Ask the right question: | + | Ask the right question: "Who commits these crimes?" |
| + | |||
| + | <WRAP group> | ||
| + | <WRAP half column> | ||
| + | {{: | ||
| + | </ | ||
| - | {{ : | + | <WRAP half column> |
| + | {{:xuhar-sex-offense-convictions-by-group-.png?600|Image 2}} | ||
| + | </ | ||
| + | </ | ||
| ^ Group ^ Sex Offenders ^ Percentage of All Sex Offenders ^ | ^ Group ^ Sex Offenders ^ Percentage of All Sex Offenders ^ | ||
| - | | Cisgender men | 13,234 | 99.43% | | + | | Cisgender men | 13,600 | 98.9% | |
| - | | Trans women | 76 | 0.57% | | + | | Trans women | 151 | 1.1% | |
| - | | **Total** | **13,310** | **100.00%** | | + | | Total | 13,751 | 100.00% | |
| - | **That's the reality**: 99.43% cisgender men, 0.57% trans women. | + | That's the reality: |
| Now put it in population context: | Now put it in population context: | ||
| - | | + | |
| - | * Or: **1 in 784,000** people | + | |
| + | * | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Category Switching: Analytical Inconsistency ==== | ||
| + | |||
| + | The data manipulation extends to how categories themselves are defined—and critically, how those definitions shift to serve the narrative. | ||
| + | |||
| + | When defining the male prisoner rate: "males (including other trans identities)" | ||
| + | |||
| + | When defining the trans prisoner rate: " | ||
| + | |||
| + | This is not inconsistency; | ||
| + | |||
| + | Fair comparison requires consistent categorization. Either include "other trans identities" | ||
| ===== The Policy Disaster ===== | ===== The Policy Disaster ===== | ||
| Line 219: | Line 308: | ||
| If you used the manipulated statistics to guide policy, you'd: | If you used the manipulated statistics to guide policy, you'd: | ||
| - | | + | |
| - | * While ignoring 13,234 people | + | * |
| - | * Because percentages looked scarier | + | * |
| + | | ||
| This is how over-policing of minorities happens while the majority committing crimes gets ignored. | This is how over-policing of minorities happens while the majority committing crimes gets ignored. | ||
| - | **Note**: Per-capita doesn' | + | Note: Per-capita doesn' |
| ===== What About Actual Conviction Rates? ===== | ===== What About Actual Conviction Rates? ===== | ||
| - | Using **total convicted individuals** (not just prisoners): | + | Using total convicted individuals (not just prisoners): |
| - | | + | |
| - | * **222 cisgender men per million** have sexual offense convictions | + | * 230 cisgender men per million have sexual offense convictions |
| - | Even this comparison has problems (reporting rates, conviction rates), but it' | + | Even this comparison has problems (reporting rates, conviction rates), but it's far more valid than prison composition data. |
| ===== What Research Actually Shows ===== | ===== What Research Actually Shows ===== | ||
| - | **Multiple peer-reviewed studies** examining bathroom policies find: | + | Multiple peer-reviewed studies examining bathroom policies find: |
| - | * **No increase in sexual assault** in jurisdictions with trans-inclusive bathroom policies | + | |
| - | * **Trans people are victims** of violence at **twice the rate** of cisgender people (UK data) | + | * |
| The original claim: "There are no recorded cases of a trans woman sexually assaulting a woman in a UK public toilet." | The original claim: "There are no recorded cases of a trans woman sexually assaulting a woman in a UK public toilet." | ||
| - | **Prison data doesn' | + | Prison data doesn' |
| - | * Doesn' | + | |
| - | * Doesn' | + | * |
| - | * Can't tell us about bathrooms specifically | + | * |
| + | * | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===== Important Context: Trans Women in Female Prisons ===== | ||
| + | |||
| + | As of March 2024, 50 trans women were housed in female prisons. Of these, 5 or fewer had sexual offense convictions—a rate of up to 10%. | ||
| + | |||
| + | This is slightly higher than the 2% rate among the cisgender female prison population, but represents an infinitesimally small absolute number. Moreover, 2023 policy guidelines now restrict housing trans women with violent or sexual convictions in the female prison estate, barring "truly exceptional circumstances." | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Why This Matters ==== | ||
| + | |||
| + | The vastly smaller absolute numbers (151 trans women with sexual convictions in male prisons versus 13,600 cisgender men) and the policy protections in place demonstrate that the statistical manipulation isn't just misleading—it' | ||
| ===== Summary ===== | ===== Summary ===== | ||
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| The claims rest on: | The claims rest on: | ||
| - | * **Comparing percentages of vastly different sized groups** (76 vs 13,234) | + | |
| - | * **Selection bias** (only counting long-sentence prisoners) | + | * |
| - | * **Fabricated statistics** (" | + | * |
| - | * **Confusing prison composition with crime rates** (completely different calculations) | + | * |
| - | * **Misusing per-capita** (doesn' | + | * |
| - | **The reality**: | + | The reality: |
| - | * 99.43% of sexual offense prisoners are cisgender men | + | |
| - | * 0.57% are trans women | + | |
| - | * That's 1 in 784,000 people in the UK | + | * 1.1% are trans women |
| - | * Research shows no safety concerns with trans-inclusive policies | + | * |
| + | * | ||
| + | * | ||
| When statistics are presented without proper context or with misleading comparisons between vastly different group sizes, they distort reality. | When statistics are presented without proper context or with misleading comparisons between vastly different group sizes, they distort reality. | ||
| Line 272: | Line 374: | ||
| ===== Sources ===== | ===== Sources ===== | ||
| - | | + | |
| - | * BBC Reality Check: "How many transgender inmates are there?" | + | * TransVitae: " |
| - | * UK Ministry of Justice FOI data (2019-2020) | + | * BBC Reality Check: "How many transgender inmates are there?" |
| - | * Stop Hate UK: Transgender hate crime statistics | + | * |
| - | * American Academy of Pediatrics: Bathroom policy studies | + | * |
| - | * Springer: Safety and privacy research | + | * |
| - | + | ||
| - | ---- | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | //This article aims to promote evidence-based policy discussion by clarifying common statistical manipulation. Good-faith questions about data interpretation are welcomed; weaponizing statistics to promote fear serves no one.// | + | |