Sarah Jane Baker | |
|---|---|
 Baker interviewed in 2020 | |
| Born | 1969 (age 54–55) Brixton, South London, England |
| Occupations | |
| Known for | UK's longest-serving transgender prisoner |
| Notable work |
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| Website | sarah-jane-baker |
Sarah Jane Baker (born 1969) is a British transgender rights activist, author and artist. She created the Trans Prisoner Alliance to support trans people in prison,[1] and was the UK's longest-serving transgender prisoner at the time of her release.[2]
She grew up in London in a large family and was neglected by her parents. She was imprisoned, initially for seven years, as a young offender for kidnapping and torturing her stepmother's brother, which was extended to a life sentence for the attempted murder of another inmate[3] who, she said, had repeatedly attacked her.[4] She escaped from prison in 2007, and was caught after three months.
Baker says she learned to read and write in prison; there she published two books and contributed to a third, and created artwork that was exhibited after her release. She served 30 years in 29 different male prisons, during which time she came out as a trans woman in 2013, and cut off her own testicles with a razor blade in 2017.[2] After her release in 2019, Baker became a transgender rights activist and announced her intention to stand as a political candidate.
She was arrested after a speech at London Trans+ Pride in 2023, and charged with "commissioning an offence". She was found not guilty of the charge, but recalled to prison because she was on licence.[5]
- ^ "With letters and lipstick, a transgender prisoner helps those left inside".
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