By Anna Waugh
Dallas Voice
DALLAS, Texas — When the Harris County Sheriff’s Office announced a sweeping LGBT nondiscrimination and housing policy last month, it was heralded as the first of its kind in the state.
But after reviewing the policy and the one implemented by openly gay Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez, the policy, while extensive, is one of many in the state.
The policy, released mid-November in conjunction with the county’s regulations required by the Prison Rape Elimination Act, provides a safe zone for better communication with the gay community, as well as housing gay inmates in homosexual tanks and allowing transgender inmates to be called by their chosen name and housed with their gender identities.
Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia told The Associated Press he believes the new policy is one of the most comprehensive in the country. It states that “discrimination or harassment of any kind based on sexual orientation or gender identity is strictly prohibited,” and outlines how such inmates will be searched, booked and housed.
Brandon Wood, executive Director of Texas Commission on Jail Standards, said most metropolitan areas have designated housing areas for the LGBT community, but the protections aren’t required by the commission, which requires jails meet minimum jail requirements. He said many jails don’t have extensive LGBT policies.
“We do have several counties that have addressed that issue and it’s above and beyond what we require,” he said. “I think most of them have at least pieces and portions that are probably similar in nature because they do a very good job of trying to ensure the safety and security of all inmates at all times.”
Valdez told Dallas Voice that Dallas County Jail, the seventh largest in the U.S., has had separate homosexuals tanks for gay inmates since she took over as sheriff in 2005. The transgender protections took affect about two years ago, she said. Also, all classification specialists are trained on LGBT issues.
In 2009, Valdez added sexual orientation and gender identity to policies prohibiting harassment and discrimination in the sheriff’s General Orders, a policies and procedures manual for the department’s employees.
“We had it way before they did,” Valdez said about Harris County. “Just because we didn’t put it in the paper doesn’t mean we didn’t have it.”
Full story: Dallas County led the way in LGBT inmate protections