'She is one of the only openly trans women held in a men’s maximum-security facility,' says fiance

A 46-year-old female inmate, twice convicted of manslaughter, is spending her first weekend at the Grand Valley Institute in Kitchener to finish out her sentence.

That may not sound ideal until you read her story and the efforts a local man and Barrie Pride made to get her relocated.

Dawna Brown is a transgender native woman who, until this week, was being held at an all-male federal prison in Kingston.

Her fiancé, Mark Zammit, has been fighting to get her moved for the last three years to a facility for women.

“She is one of the only openly trans women held in a men’s maximum-security facility," Zammit said. "She was in there with serial killers and pedophiles. She spent a lot of time in segregation and was considered a freak and that is no place to live comfortably.”

Brown was first convicted of manslaughter in 1994 after a stabbing in Kingston.

She is currently serving a second sentence for manslaughter after a fist fight in Ottawa led to a man’s death in 2001.

“To be honest, she’s been in some kind of custody since she was seven years old," Zammit said. "She was bounced around in foster care. Her mother died. Her father was violent. She’s been beaten, sexually assaulted and ended up HIV positive. All of her siblings are drug addicted. She has nobody.

"I started fighting for her almost as soon as we met three years ago," he added.

A couple of years ago, Zammit reached out to Barrie Pride and asked if they would help to get Brown some women’s clothing, hygiene items, makeup and women’s shoes.

The local group got prison approval and began helping her.

The group is also helping her to gain access to hormone treatment, which the corrections system had discontinued on her.

Barrie Pride's David Bradbury said he "felt drawn to help."

"Helping Dawna came easy because it was an obvious injustice," Bradbury said. "It seems people inside prison are easily forgotten. Barrie Pride has always had a big focus on transgender rights.”

After assisting quietly for two years, Barrie Pride got the news this week that the transfer was approved.

“I literally cried tears of joy hearing Dawna was finally being moved," Bradbury said. "It is why we do what we do and that’s to make a difference.”

Zammit says he's incredibly thankful to Barrie Pride.

The legal and emotional struggles are ongoing, but Zammit says he feels both victorious and hopeful.

The couple has not set a wedding date.

“First, I have to fight for visitation rights,” Zammit said.

This week’s transfer is a great first step, because it is where Brown wants to be, he added.

Grand Valley is the only federal female prison in Ontario.

For more information, visit FreeDawnaBrown.com.