A biological male prisoner who began identifying as a transgender woman and has a history of violence against women was reportedly transferred from a men’s prison in Kansas to a women’s prison this week.
The inmate, who was known as Thomas Lamb, was convicted of kidnapping and killing a young woman in 1969 and kidnapping a second woman in 1970, according to News13. In 2007, Thomas Lamb changed his name to “Michelle.”
In the years that followed, Lamb reportedly requested to be moved to a women’s facility. This request, however, was denied. But, records obtained by News13 show that Lamb was moved to a women’s prison this month (via News 13):
In 2017, a U.S. District Court ruled against Lamb in a lawsuit asking the state to transfer her to an all-female facility, and allow her to pursue gender re-assignment surgery. An Appeals Court upheld the ruling in 2018, stating that, although it was not the treatment Lamb might want, evidence showed she was being provided treatment for gender dysphoria, and the state was not showing “deliberate indifference” to her situation.
However, Kansas Dept. of Corrections records show she was transferred Jan. 27 to Topeka Correctional Facility.
While it is not known if Lamb will now be allowed to go forward with the gender reassignment surgery, 13 NEWS asked KDOC public affairs director Randall Bowman whether the state would pay for the procedure if she did.
Bowman would not comment on Lamb’s case specifically.
“Healthcare decisions are not made by KDOC officials,” Bowman said. “Due to patient privacy concerns, KDOC and the Governor’s Office cannot comment on the specifics of medical care for any one individual.”
Lamb was sentenced to life in prison over his crimes, which targeted women (via Reduxx):
Lamb was convicted of kidnapping and murdering Karen Sue Kemmerly, a 24 year-old student at the University of Kansas-Missouri, around December 5, 1969.
Lamb murdered Kemmerly after she commented he was a “handsome man,” which sent him into a violent rage as he saw himself as a woman. Lamb strangled the woman to death, and left her nude corpse in a cornfield. The young student’s body was found approximately five days after her death on December 7.
In addition to Kemmerly, Lamb was also convicted on charges of kidnapping 18-year-old Patricia Ann Childs on January 15, 1970. Childs was returned to her family after her father paid out a $3,500 ransom demanded by Lamb. During the ordeal, Lamb bound Childs’ hands and raped her, according to court documents, though he was never formally charged for the sexual assault.
Lamb was ultimately convicted of two counts of kidnapping and one count of first degree murder, and is now serving three consecutive life sentences in prison.
Records obtained by the Washington Free Beacon show that in California, specifically, a "high number" of self-described "transgender" inmates are sexual predators. In the records, it showed that one-third of the 287 biological men applying to live in women's prisons were registered sex offenders, and a quarter had been convicted of sex-related crimes.
This week, Townhall covered how a a biological man who identifies as a transgender woman was found guilty of raping two women in the United Kingdom. Shortly after, reports broke that the rapist, a biological male who identifies as a transgender woman, would be housed in a women’s jail while awaiting sentencing. Following backlash from the public, the rapist was not sent to a women’s facility after all.
Earlier this month, Missouri executed “Amber McLaughlin,” the first “openly transgender” inmate in the United States. McLaughlin, who used to go by Scott, was convicted of murder in 2006. According to CNN, McLaughlin was kept in a men’s prison.