A man who allegedly killed his family after alleged disputes about his transgender identification has been marked as a “female” in a Maine prison.
Andrew Balcer, who allegedly killed his mother, father, and family dog with a knife in 2016, has been marked “female” in Maine’s prison system after being given a 40-year sentence.
One article from People Magazine, which incorrectly refers to Balcer as a woman with feminine pronouns, explains that his defense attorney argued that Balcer allegedly committed the double murder when Balcer’s parents would not accept his gender identity.
The article cites his defense attorney, who remarked “what she did was in response to her parents’ rejection of her transgendered status.” Balcer allegedly stabbed his mother nine times and his dad 13 times before letting his older brother escape, the article explains.
Meanwhile, family members disputed the idea that a lack of support surrounding Balcer’s transgender identity played a role in the double murder.
Now, Balcer has been marked as “female” in Maine’s prison system, Reduxx reports. Though he was first recorded as a male, he is now marked as a female inmate, indicating that the alleged killer may be housed with female inmates. He is also described as six-foot-one and 245 pounds.
Balcer is at the Maine Correctional Center (MCC) in Windham, which Reduxx describes as “a medium-to-minimum facility that houses both men and women.”
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests sent to the Maine Department of Corrections (MDOC) were unfulfilled and the Department cited “confidentiality statutes” after they were asked whether or not Balcer was housed with female inmates. The Department did not respond after being asked to cite the confidentiality statutes.
His transfer could have been the result of LD 1044, a bill sponsored by Rep. Charlotte Warren (D-Hallowell) that was signed into law last year. It requires prisons in the state of Maine to “respect and acknowledge an incarcerated person’s consistently held gender identity irrespective of anatomy or physique.”
The bill was supported by the Maine Women’s Lobby, the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and the ACLU of Maine.
Spencer Lindquist is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerLndqst and reach out at slindquist@breitbart.com
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