Jump to content

Michelle Kosilek: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
→‎Sex reassignment surgery: Globe switches positions
→‎Biography: Greatly shortened biography, as suggested on Talk page
Line 27: Line 27:


== Biography ==
== Biography ==
⚫
Kosilek was born on April 10, 1949,<ref name='herald06'>{{cite news | first = Dave | last = Wedge | authorlink = Dave Wedge | title = Cross-dressing con's secret life: Psych eval details abuse, confusion. | date = June 11, 2006 | url = http://business.highbeam.com/3972/article-1G1-146876212/crossdressing-con-secret-life-psych-eval-details-abuse | work = [[Boston Herald]] | accessdate = February 14, 2013}}</ref> in [[Chicago, Illinois]]. In adulthood, Kosilek wrote an autobiography, and published it online.<ref name=daughter>[http://www.smashwords.com/extreader/read/125347/1/graces-daughter Grace's Daughter], written by Michelle Kosilek</ref> In this book, Kosilek described a troubled childhood in which the adults responsible for her care regularly abused her emotionally, physically, and sexually. Kosilek wrote that she had always identified as female, that she attempted to wear girls' clothing in secret, and that whenever the adults in her life discovered her engaging in female gender expression, they emotionally and physically abused her.
=== Early childhood ===
⚫
Kosilek was born on April 10, 1949,<ref name=daughter>[http://www.smashwords.com/extreader/read/125347/1/graces-daughter Grace's Daughter], written by Michelle Kosilek</ref><ref name='herald06'>{{cite news | first = Dave | last = Wedge | authorlink = Dave Wedge | title = Cross-dressing con's secret life: Psych eval details abuse, confusion. | date = June 11, 2006 | url = http://business.highbeam.com/3972/article-1G1-146876212/crossdressing-con-secret-life-psych-eval-details-abuse | work = [[Boston Herald]] | accessdate = February 14, 2013}}</ref> in [[Chicago, Illinois]]. Kosilek's father, Henry, was an unemployed laborer. Her mother, Elizabeth, was about 18 when she gave birth to Kosilek's sister, Patricia, and about 22 when she gave birth to the child she named '''Robert John Kosilek'''. Both parents were [[alcoholics]]. Kosilek later described Kosilek's mother as a "vicious drunk" who beat her child with a lamp cord. When Kosilek was four years old, Kosilek's father was sentenced to prison for [[mail fraud]].


Kosilek wrote of her father being sent to prison when she was 4 years old, of her mother's alcoholism, and of being abandoned in an orphanage, run by physically abusive nuns, for five years. Kosilek wrote that after her mother brought Kosilek and her sister home, that Kosilek's mother and stepfather drank heavily and would often beat her. Kosilek wrote that when she was 10, her grandfather repeatedly molested her. Kosilek described meeting a transgender woman, hiding a stash of girls' clothing to wear in secret, and using estrogen cream to induce breast growth. Kosilek detailed that when her stepfather discovered this, that he beat her very badly.
Around this time, Elizabeth was living in a [[Mobile home|trailer]] with a boyfriend. At age four, Kosilek told her mother that she was a girl. Elizabeth soon left her two children at her mother's house. Elizabeth's mother surrendered her grandchildren to the Chicago police department. The children were sent to St. Hedwig's orphanage. The orphanage was sex-segregated, thus the siblings were separated and lived apart from each other.


Kosilek wrote of running away as a young teenager, of being retrieved by the authorities, and of being sent to a court-appointed psychologist, who molested her. Kosilek wrote that she engaged in child prostitution on the streets of Chicago to survive, and at age 14 went to live with a man who let her live with him in exchange for sex. She wrote that the authorities sent her to a foster home, that she became addicted to heroin and methamphetamine, and that, by age 16, she had dropped out of high school.
Kosilek reported that the nuns who ran the facility, provided well for the physical needs of the children in their care; the children were well-fed, clothed, and bathed, and given a good education, better than that of the public schools in the area. Kosilek reported that the nuns were emotionally cold and cruel, and that they physically abused her. On several occasions, the nuns discovered Kosilek wearing girls' clothing. They called her "Satan's child", beat her with paddles and rulers, and locked her in a closet under the stairs for hours. Kosilek and her sister lived in the orphanage for five years.

=== Preteen years ===
In early 1959, when Kosilek was 9 years old, Elizabeth visited her children in the orphanage. On February 9, Elizabeth returned, with a vehicle, to conduct what Kosilek described as an "escape". In the evening, during a thunderstorm, Elizabeth arrived at the orphanage with her boyfriend, Theodore Barron, as a passenger, and with Barron's friend, Baron Lee, at the wheel. Kosilek recalled running with her sister, through the rain, in the dark, towards the open car door.

Elizabeth and Barron were married, got a dog, and enrolled the children in school. Barron enrolled the children under his own last name, to avoid detection by the authorities. Kosilek later described Barron as an "insufferable bully" and an "aspiring gigolo", who laid around the house drinking beer and watching television, while Elizabeth supported the family on her meager earnings as a waitress. Barron occasionally earned money playing piano with infrequent weekend gigs in bars.

Kosilek's maternal grandfather began [[Child sexual abuse|sexually abusing]] Kosilek when she was just 10 years old. Kosilek later described how he groomed her, by buying her ice cream, then molesting her. As an adult, Kosilek wrote that she believed her mother was aware that Kosilek's grandfather was abusing his granddaughter, because when Kosilek began asking whether Kosilek's grandmother would be home, or if Kosilek would have to be alone with her grandfather, Elizabeth stopped sending her there. However, when Kosilek told she mother that her grandfather was molesting her, her mother hit her in the face, bloodying her nose. Kosilek wrote that her parents were hostile to her [[gender identity]] and [[gender expression|expression]], and that Barron relentlessly abused her, calling her "pervert", "faggot", and "sissy". Kosilek began using alcohol, and later reported that her stepfather Barron gave her her first drink.

In 1962, when Kosilek was about 12, she missed a lot of school, and ran away from home often. She was placed in the [[Arthur J. Audy Home]], a [[juvenile facility]]. The boys there bullied her badly. The Audy Home staff decided not to send Kosilek to [[reform school]]. The [[Cook County Juvenile Court]] released Kosilek to her mother, with the requirement that Kosilek see a psychologist assigned by the court. On Kosilek's second visit, the psychologist knelt next to her, and put his hand on her genitals. Kosilek never returned there. Kosilek later spoke of how much this molestation damaged her remaining trust in adults.

After this, Kosilek became involved in [[child prostitution]], and at age 12 was engaging in sex acts for money on the streets of Chicago. Later in her life, Kosilek said she had never been attracted to men, and only engaged in sex with them for money. By age 12, she was drinking regularly, and first bought marijuana at age 13.

=== Teenage years ===
By age 14, Kosilek had hidden a stash of girls' clothing and makeup in an abandoned shed. She went there to dress in her clothes and to wear her makeup. Kosilek befriended a transgender woman named Rikki Cordoba, who taught her about makeup and how to do her hair. Rikki also gave Kosilek a jar of lotion which contained estrogen, which Kosilek began using. After two months, Kosilek's breasts had begun to grow. When Kosilek told her mother that her breasts were growing, Barron hit her with a broken beer bottle, and her mother hit Barron with a frying pan. That day, when Elizabeth left for work, Barron continued beating Kosilek with a fiberglass fishing pole, and then forced her to kneel in a corner, on a layer of uncooked rice, a form of [[torture]] which eventually causes excruciating pain.

Barron and Elizabeth fought frequently. An final altercation ensued; Barron attempted to overpower Elizabeth, and Patricia (then known as Tish) beat Barron's knees with a bottle until Barron let go of Elizabeth. After this, Elizabeth left with her children. Elizabeth became involved with a man named John Horn, they and the children moved into a basement apartment. Patrica soon left home, at about age 18, to work as a live-in babysitter and housekeeper.

At 14, Kosilek completed eighth grade, she then ran away again. Kosilek moved in with a man named Chuck Derry; whom she had met while prostituting. Derry had previously paid the girl for sex. Derry then offered the 14-year-old a place to stay, in exchange for sex. Kosilek moved in with Derry, bringing her belongings with her in a shopping bag. As an adult, Kosilek reflected that she was not attracted to men at all, that she had entered into this arrangement primarily so that she could escape the violence at home, and express her gender more freely. She referred to the situation with Derry as being both "nurturing" and "a prison".

Later, police arrested Kosilek as a runaway, and she was sent back to the Audy Home. She was then sent to live in [[foster care]], with Joseph and Helen Brzezinski, an immigrant couple who took in abused and neglected children. By the age of 16, Kosilek was addicted to [[heroin]] and [[methamphetamine]] and using [[LSD]]. She [[Drop out|dropped out]] of high school.


=== Transgender status and abuse ===
=== Transgender status and abuse ===
Line 59: Line 38:
From 1967 to 1968, starting when Kosilek was about 18 years old, a doctor exploited Kosilek's difficulty in obtaining medical treatment for her gender identity disorder. The doctor prescribed [[Hormone replacement therapy (male-to-female)|hormone therapy]] for Kosilek, in exchange for sex with his patient.<ref name=newsday>{{cite news|last=Crisp|first=John M.|title=Sex-change operation for Robert Kosilek would be humane|url=http://www.newsday.com/opinion/oped/crisp-sex-change-operation-for-robert-kosilek-would-be-humane-1.3988015 |accessdate=January 17, 2014|newspaper=Newsday|date=September 12, 2012|accessdate=January 17, 2014}}</ref> Kosilek later said that, while she was on hormone therapy, she "felt normal" for the first time in her life. Kosilek also took hormones for several months in 1971 and 1972 (when she was about 22-23 years old), and developed breasts.
From 1967 to 1968, starting when Kosilek was about 18 years old, a doctor exploited Kosilek's difficulty in obtaining medical treatment for her gender identity disorder. The doctor prescribed [[Hormone replacement therapy (male-to-female)|hormone therapy]] for Kosilek, in exchange for sex with his patient.<ref name=newsday>{{cite news|last=Crisp|first=John M.|title=Sex-change operation for Robert Kosilek would be humane|url=http://www.newsday.com/opinion/oped/crisp-sex-change-operation-for-robert-kosilek-would-be-humane-1.3988015 |accessdate=January 17, 2014|newspaper=Newsday|date=September 12, 2012|accessdate=January 17, 2014}}</ref> Kosilek later said that, while she was on hormone therapy, she "felt normal" for the first time in her life. Kosilek also took hormones for several months in 1971 and 1972 (when she was about 22-23 years old), and developed breasts.


In her early 20s, Kosilek survived many violent attacks from men who were hostile to her transgender status. In the early 1970s, when Kosilek was imprisoned in Chicago, prison officials housed her with male inmates, who assaulted her. In 1971, a group of inmates [[gang-rape]]d her, and another group gang-raped her in 1972.
In her autobiography, Kosilek wrote that in her early 20s, she survived many violent attacks from men who were hostile to her transgender status. Kosilek wrote that in the early 1970s, when Kosilek was imprisoned in Chicago, prison officials housed her with male inmates, who assaulted her: Kosilek wrote that in 1971, a group of inmates [[gang-rape]]d her, and another group gang-raped her in 1972.


Once, during a time when Kosilek was not imprisoned, two men attacked Kosilek outside of a gay bar, beating her badly, with a brick. They later admitted that they specifically targeted Kosilek because she was transgender. After these assaults, Kosilek stopped taking female hormones.
Once, during a time when Kosilek was not imprisoned, two men attacked Kosilek outside of a gay bar, beating her badly, with a brick. Kosilek wrote that the men later admitted that they specifically targeted Kosilek because she was transgender. Kosilek wrote that after these assaults, she stopped taking female hormones.


In 1977, Kosilek's mother died of alcoholism and [[tuberculosis]], at age 50. Kosilek's father died of alcohol-related illness at age 61.<ref name=daughter/>
Kosilek wrote that in 1977, her mother died of alcoholism and [[tuberculosis]] at age 50, and that her father died of alcohol-related illness at age 61.<ref name=daughter/>


== Relationship with Cheryl McCaul ==
== Relationship with Cheryl McCaul ==

Revision as of 21:26, 18 February 2014

Michelle Lynne Kosilek
Born(1949-04-10)April 10, 1949
Chicago, Illinois
Known forLawsuits to obtain treatment for gender identity disorder, while in prison
Criminal statusIn prison
Spouse(s)Cheryl McCaul (c. 1954-1990), murdered at age 36
ChildrenSon, Timothy, born c. 1975 (age ~38)
Conviction(s)Murder
Criminal penaltyLife imprisonment

Michelle Lynne Kosilek (born April 10, 1949) is a convicted murderer and transgender woman who is best known for the controversy surrounding her attempts to obtain treatment for her gender identity disorder while in prison. In 1990, then known as Robert, Kosilek strangled wife Cheryl McCaul, killing her. Kosilek was sentenced to serve a life sentence without parole. During her incarceration, Kosilek has repeatedly sued the Massachusetts Department of Correction (MDOC), seeking medical treatment for her gender identity disorder.

Biography

Kosilek was born on April 10, 1949,[1] in Chicago, Illinois. In adulthood, Kosilek wrote an autobiography, and published it online.[2] In this book, Kosilek described a troubled childhood in which the adults responsible for her care regularly abused her emotionally, physically, and sexually. Kosilek wrote that she had always identified as female, that she attempted to wear girls' clothing in secret, and that whenever the adults in her life discovered her engaging in female gender expression, they emotionally and physically abused her.

Kosilek wrote of her father being sent to prison when she was 4 years old, of her mother's alcoholism, and of being abandoned in an orphanage, run by physically abusive nuns, for five years. Kosilek wrote that after her mother brought Kosilek and her sister home, that Kosilek's mother and stepfather drank heavily and would often beat her. Kosilek wrote that when she was 10, her grandfather repeatedly molested her. Kosilek described meeting a transgender woman, hiding a stash of girls' clothing to wear in secret, and using estrogen cream to induce breast growth. Kosilek detailed that when her stepfather discovered this, that he beat her very badly.

Kosilek wrote of running away as a young teenager, of being retrieved by the authorities, and of being sent to a court-appointed psychologist, who molested her. Kosilek wrote that she engaged in child prostitution on the streets of Chicago to survive, and at age 14 went to live with a man who let her live with him in exchange for sex. She wrote that the authorities sent her to a foster home, that she became addicted to heroin and methamphetamine, and that, by age 16, she had dropped out of high school.

Transgender status and abuse

Despite having dropped out of high school, Kosilek eventually earned her bachelor's degree in Counseling Psychology.[3] She worked intermittently.[4] She worked for several months in clinical services at Bridgewater State Hospital, but she lost that job when hospital officials discovered she had failed to report having a criminal record in Illinois on her employment application.[5] Kosilek was employed for a time as an addiction counselor at Waltham-Weston Hospital.[6]

From 1967 to 1968, starting when Kosilek was about 18 years old, a doctor exploited Kosilek's difficulty in obtaining medical treatment for her gender identity disorder. The doctor prescribed hormone therapy for Kosilek, in exchange for sex with his patient.[7] Kosilek later said that, while she was on hormone therapy, she "felt normal" for the first time in her life. Kosilek also took hormones for several months in 1971 and 1972 (when she was about 22-23 years old), and developed breasts.

In her autobiography, Kosilek wrote that in her early 20s, she survived many violent attacks from men who were hostile to her transgender status. Kosilek wrote that in the early 1970s, when Kosilek was imprisoned in Chicago, prison officials housed her with male inmates, who assaulted her: Kosilek wrote that in 1971, a group of inmates gang-raped her, and another group gang-raped her in 1972.

Once, during a time when Kosilek was not imprisoned, two men attacked Kosilek outside of a gay bar, beating her badly, with a brick. Kosilek wrote that the men later admitted that they specifically targeted Kosilek because she was transgender. Kosilek wrote that after these assaults, she stopped taking female hormones.

Kosilek wrote that in 1977, her mother died of alcoholism and tuberculosis at age 50, and that her father died of alcohol-related illness at age 61.[2]

Relationship with Cheryl McCaul

After relapsing into drug abuse, Kosilek entered a drug rehabilitation facility as a patient.[4] There, Kosilek met Cheryl McCaul, who was working there as a volunteer counselor. McCaul believed that if she were to marry Kosilek, that Kosilek would identify as a man; Kosilek recalled McCaul saying that all Kosilek needed was "a good woman".[7][8][9] They were married, but Kosilek's female gender identity did not change. Around 1975, when McCaul was 21 years old and Kosilek was 26, they had a son they named Timothy.

Murder of Cheryl McCaul

Kosilek murdered McCaul in May, 1990. In October 1992, about two and a half years after the murder, Kosilek gave a series of recorded interviews to a reporter.[10] In one of these recordings, Kosilek stated that, on the day of the murder, McCaul had returned home to the couple's condominium in Mansfield, Massachusetts, and discovered Kosilek wearing McCaul's clothing. This enraged McCaul, and an altercation ensued. McCaul threw boiling tea at Kosilek, either at her face or her genitals, and Kosilek knocked McCaul down. McCaul grabbed a butcher's knife and chased Kosilek into another room, threatening to kill her. Kosilek picked up a piece of wire that had been on a table. Kosilek reported that the next thing she remembered was awakening, days later, in the psychiatric unit of a hospital. In the interview, Kosilek stated that she "probably, because of the trauma of it ... went into a blackout at that moment." She added, "Apparently, I did take her life. It was probably in self-defense." McCaul was 36 years old when she died.

Discovery of the body

On May 20, 1990, Cheryl McCaul's body was discovered in the back seat of her car. Her car was found in the parking lot of the Emerald Square Mall in North Attleborough, after the mall had closed for the night. McCaul's body was nude, and she had died by strangulation. Kosilek had strangled her with a rope and with a piece of piano wire, pulling so tightly that she nearly severed McCaul's head from her body.

Investigation and arrest

That evening, Kosilek called the North Attleborough police department, stated that wife Cheryl had not come home that evening, and asked whether there had been any report of a car accident in which she might have been involved. The police told Kosilek that they had found Cheryl's car, and they asked Kosilek to come to the police station. Kosilek agreed, requesting that an officer pick her up.

Kosilek was twice taken in for questioning, once that day, and once on Monday, May 21. During this second visit, the police informed Kosilek that she was a suspect in the murder, and that they, the police, had spoken with Kosilek's son. Kosilek informed the police that she was going to get a lawyer, and left.

Later that evening, just after midnight, On May 22, 1990, shortly after midnight, Kosilek crashed her car in Bedford. Police observed Kosilek in the driver's seat, dressed in women's clothing, having crashed into a stop sign and some bushes. The officer administered field sobriety tests, determined that Kosilek was not intoxicated, and called her a cab. Two days later, on the afternoon of May 24, 1990, police in New Rochelle, New York stopped Kosilek for speeding. The officer observed vodka and beer inside the car, smelled alcohol on Kosilek's breath, and arrested Kosilek. At some point, Kosilek remarked to the arresting officer, "You would be drunk too, if the police thought you killed your wife." Later, at the police station, Kosilek stated, "Look, I had a fifteen year old son and a wife. I can't call my wife. I murdered my wife. Now, I need to call a psychiatrist now." Kosilek was transported to the psychiatric unit of a New York hospital, and subsequently was brought back to Massachusetts by the Massachusetts State Police.

Trial and conviction

Kosilek was indicted for murder on May 30, 1990. After unsuccessfully contesting her extradition from New York where she had been apprehended,[11] she plead not guilty on October 3 and was ordered held without bail.[5] In November 1992, while awaiting trial, she ran a write-in campaign for the office of Bristol County Sheriff after unsuccessfully suing the current sheriff for violations of her civil rights by "the denial of medically prescribed treatment for ... gender dysphoria."[12] Also while awaiting trial, she took female hormones in the form of birth control pills, twice attempted suicide, and once attempted self-castration.[13]

The trial began on January 14, 1993, with jury selection at which no potential juror expressed any difficulty with the judge's statement that "the defendant is physically a male but may emotionally and psychologically be a female, and will be wearing what may be described as female clothing and may exhibit mannerisms and behavior considered to be female or that he may be referred to by female pronouns."[12] At trial, Kosilek's attorney did not dispute that Kosilek strangled McCaul, but said Kosilek had no memory of the events because of a four-day blackout that began shortly before the killing. She said: "My client [Kosilek] now believes, though [Kosilek] has no memory of this, that [Kosilek] must have been the one to use that wire in self defense." The prosecution described how Kosilek hid McCaul's body, tried to disguise McCaul's death as "a sex crime", and fled to New York.[14]

During the court proceedings, a cab driver testified that he had picked up Kosilek from that same mall, on that same afternoon, and had driven her to a store located about half a mile from her house in Mansfield.

Kosilek's son, Timothy, who was 15 years old at the time of the murder, testified that that evening, Kosilek had cooked steak for their dinner, and that they had talked about everyday things. Timothy also stated that Kosilek shaved off her beard on the day of the killing, the first time she had done so in at least a year.[15]

For the murder of McCaul, Kosilek was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

On appeal, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled on August 8, 1996, that the trial judge's errors were insufficient to overturn the conviction.[16]

Incarceration and medical lawsuits

Kosilek is incarcerated in Norfolk, Massachusetts, at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Norfolk, a medium security male prison. Kosilek has been diagnosed with gender identity disorder and identifies as female.[17] While in prison, Kosilek has presented herself as a woman, as one court decision later said, "to the maximum extent possible", and had her first and middle names legally changed to Michelle Lynne.[18]

Lawsuits

  • Kosilek briefly received electrolysis treatments in 2008.[20]

Sex reassignment surgery

In May 2006, Kosilek sued the DOC, arguing that its refusal to provide sex reassignment surgery constituted "cruel and unusual punishment" under the Eighth Amendment.[19]

On September 4, 2012, U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf ruled that the MDOC had violated Kosilek's constitutional rights by denying sex reassignment surgery, noting that former Corrections Commissioner Kathleen Dennehy had engaged in "pretense, pretext, and prevarication" to deny the treatment. He wrote that Dennehy had "testified untruthfully on many matters" while supporting legislation to prevent her from providing sex reassignment surgery to inmates.[22] Wolf ordered the DOC to provide Kosilek with the surgery.[23][24] In October 2012, Judge Wolf ordered the DOC to hire an independent expert to determine whether electrolysis was a necessary part of Kosilek's treatment for gender identity disorder.[25] Judge Wolf announced in December that, pending the outcome of the case on appeal, he was prepared to require the state to reimburse Koselek's attorneys for their work on the case, estimated at more than $700,000. Kosilek's attorneys offered to forgo that payment if the state would cover the cost of Kosilek's surgery and forgo its appeal.[26]

Representative Barney Frank supported the decision of Governor Deval Patrick to appeal Wolf's decision. He said "I think it should be clear she has a right to present herself as a woman, and that should be honored by the prison system" but he thought that Kosilek's advocates were wrong to describe her case "as a general trans[gender rights] issue".[27] U.S. Senator Scott Brown and his 2012 election opponent Elizabeth Warren both objected to the use of "taxpayer dollars" for Kosilek's surgery.[28][29] Relatives of Cheryl McCaul objected to the court-ordered surgery and one cousin suggested it would lead someone unable to afford such surgery to commit murder in order to receive it at government expense. [30][31]

In 2006, the editors of the Boston Globe had opposed Kosilek's surgery because "[p]rivate insurers rarely pay for sex-change operations" and "hormone treatment and expert therapy" are "sufficent".[32] In 2012, the Globe said that Wolf's decision made a persuasive case that the surgery was "medically necessary, not an elective procedure", however "distasteful". The paper had also stopped referring to Kosilek as "Robert" and adopted feminine pronouns.[33] An editorial in the Los Angeles Times noted that cost was not the issue, since the cost of the surgery would be offset by the lesser expense of housing Kosilek in a women's prison and avoid the costs associated with Kosilek's attacks on her own body. It nevertheless thought that sex reassignment surgery was "medical attention that is above and beyond the community standard of care", noting that private insurance companies and Medicare do not cover it. It offered the "generally recognized standard of insurance coverage" as the standard to be used in providing medical services to the incarcerated.[34]

The DOC appealed Wolf's decision about sex reassignment surgery, Kosilek v. Spencer, to the First Circuit Court of Appeals, which heard arguments on April 2, 2013.[35] On January 17, 2014, a three-judge panel of that Court ruled 2–1 for Kosilek. The majority, Judges O. Rogeriee Thompson and William J. Kayatta, Jr., said that Kosilek's Eighth Amendment rights included "receiving medically necessary treatment ... even if that treatment strikes some as odd or unorthodox". In dissent Judge Juan R. Torruella said that denying the medical care in question did not violate Kosilek's Eighth Amendment rights because it did not "fall below society's minimum standards of decency" and "illustrate{d} neither an intent to harm nor the obstinate and unwarranted application of clearly imprudent care".[36]

Personal life

On October 20, 2006, Kosilek married a woman named Jessica, she is transgender and imprisoned in a different state. The marriage is unofficial and involved the women coordinating to say their vows at the same time. Kosilek had a bouquet of flowers, a maid of honor, and an enlarged photograph of Jessica. Kosilek sent invitations, requesting her guests' "spiritual presence" at the appointed hour and "a random act of kindness" instead of a wedding present.[2]

In January 2012, Kosilek self-published an autobiography, Grace's Daughter.[37]

See also

References

  1. ^ Wedge, Dave (June 11, 2006). "Cross-dressing con's secret life: Psych eval details abuse, confusion". Boston Herald. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Grace's Daughter, written by Michelle Kosilek
  3. ^ Michelle Kosilek, on Smashwords
  4. ^ a b Kosilek v. Maloney, 221 F.Supp.2d 158 (District Court D, Massachusetts August 28, 2002).
  5. ^ a b Coakley, Tom (October 4, 1990). "Mansfield Man Pleads Guilty in Wife's Strangulation". Boston Globe. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  6. ^ Aucoin, Don (May 26, 1990). "Slaying Suspect's Old Job Stirs New Bedford Inquiry". Boston Globe. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  7. ^ a b Crisp, John M. (September 12, 2012). "Sex-change operation for Robert Kosilek would be humane". Newsday. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  8. ^ Kosilek v. Spencer
  9. ^ Kosilek v. Spencer – 8th Amendment decision
  10. ^ Commonwealth vs. Kosilek
  11. ^ Ray, Richard (June 1, 1990). "Kosilek to be Brought from N.Y. for Trial". Boston Globe. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  12. ^ a b Coakley, Tom (January 15, 1993). "Judge quizzes murder trial jurors on defendant clad as a woman". Boston Globe. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  13. ^ Kosilek v. Spencer, First Circuit Court of Appeals, January 17, 2014, retrieved February 8, 2014
  14. ^ Coakley, Tom (January 16, 1993). "Man says he killed wife in self-defense". Boston Globe. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  15. ^ Borg, Linda (January 20, 1990). "Police say Kosilek sober at interview Defendant contends he can't recall slaying because of the influence of drugs". Providence Journal. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  16. ^ "Wife murderer loses SJC appeal". Boston Globe. August 9, 1996. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  17. ^ "Taxpayers must fund wife-killer's legal battle as well as sex change, says judge". Fox News. September 17, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
  18. ^ Kosilek v. Spencer, District Court, September 4, 2012, accessed February 8, 2014
  19. ^ a b "Convicted killer sues state for free sex change". NBS News. May 31, 2006. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  20. ^ Weir, Richard (November 20, 2012). "Con's sex-change surgery stopped". Boston Herald. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  21. ^ "Wife-killer denied jailhouse electrolysis for time being". Boston Herald. November 26, 2009. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  22. ^ Kaminer, Wendy (September 7, 2012). "Is Denying Treatment to Transsexual Inmates 'Cruel and Unusual'?". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
  23. ^ "Mass. inmate sex-change ruling praised, condemned". CBS News. September 5, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  24. ^ Huus, Kari (September 4, 2012). "Sex-change surgery for prison inmate granted by judge". Retrieved November 9, 2012.
  25. ^ "Prisoner Michelle Kosilek requests electrolysis". Boston Globe. October 25, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  26. ^ Valencia, Milton J. (December 19, 2012). "Judge: State must pay more than $700,000 in legal fees to attorneys of convicted murderer who wants sex change surgery". Boston Globe. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  27. ^ Snow, Justin (October 1, 2012). "Barney Frank Backing Appeal of Ruling Requiring Sex-Reassignment Surgery for Transgender Inmate". Metro Weekly. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  28. ^ Palazzolo, Joe (September 4, 2012). "Judge Orders Sex-Change Operation for Prisoner". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  29. ^ Levenson, Michael (September 7, 2012). "Elizabeth Warren disagrees with judge's sex-change ruling". Boston Globe. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  30. ^ "Murder victim's family speaks out against husband's taxpayer-funded sex change". Fox25 Boston. September 5, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  31. ^ Ellement, John R. (September 7, 2012). "Relative of woman killed by Michelle Kosilek blasts judge for making state pay for sex-change operation". Boston Globe. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  32. ^ "Set limits on sex change". Boston Globe. June 15, 2006. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  33. ^ "Free sex change for prisoner Michelle Kosilek is distasteful but legally warranted". Boston Globe. September 9, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  34. ^ "Sex change at taxpayer expense?". Los Angeles Times. September 13, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  35. ^ Naughton, Michael (April 2, 2013). "Appeals court hears Michelle Kosilek sex change case". Metro. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  36. ^ Finucane, Martin; Ellement, John R.; Valencia, Milton J. (January 17, 2014). "Mass. appeals court upholds inmate's right to taxpayer-funded sex change surgery". Boston Globe. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  37. ^ Kosilek, Michelle Lynne (January 2012). Grace's Daughter. Smashwords. ISBN 978-1-46-603109-8.

Additional sources

External links

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michelle_Kosilek&oldid=596086958"