From all outward appearances, Tara Hudson has a drinking problem.

It is not unusual to discover that transgender people self-medicate as we attempt to survive our dysphoria. Sometimes that continues to be a problem after we transition.

On a personal level, I will admit that I spent my entire transition stoned on marijuana 24/7.

Self-medicating can, of course, lead to encounters with the legal system. That appears to have generated a bunch of Tara's past history...which ended up biting her in the ass.

Tara is a make-up artist by trade. Last Boxing Day she imbibed too much, to the point that she was cut off by a bar manager. An argument ensued, during which Tara headbutted bar manager Christopher Dyer and was arrested. She admitted to the crime in Bristol Crown Court.

Despite the fact that she has lived her entire adult life as a woman and has had six years of sex-reassignment surgery, she was sentenced to serve twelve weeks in a prison for men because her passport still lists her as male.

She filed an appeal, claiming that she was being abused by fellow prisoners, who would shout 'show us your tits!' whenever she left her cell. Being a transwoman, she was being held in an isolation cell 23 hours a day.

A panel of three judges sitting at Bristol Crown Court rejected her appeal, saying she had a 'worrying criminal record' which contained 'numerous offences'.

The Bristol Recorder is Llewelyn Sellick:

It is for the prison service to and not the court to establish where a sentence should be served. We would invite further and sensitive consideration of these issues.

--Sellick

Tara's mother:

The Prison Service declined to comment on the case, but said: "It is longstanding policy to place offenders according to their legally recognised gender. However, our guidelines allow room for discretion.”

Hudson is said to have suffered psychotic symptoms since 2009.

A petition calling for Ms. Hudson to be transferred to an all female prison was signed by 150,000 people, including her MP Ben Howlett and Lib Dem leader Tim Farron.

Hours after Tara's appeal was denied, Tara was moved from HMP Bristol to HMP Eastwood Park, a women's prison

It is welcome news that Tara has been moved to a female prison. But she shouldn’t have gone to a male prison to begin with. I urge the Justice Secretary to use this case as an opportunity to fix the system.'

--Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron

This afternoon we have heard from a source that Tara has been taken from Court to an all-female prison. We will be pressing the Ministry of Justice for a formal line following this and work to ensure there is no repeat of this situation in future.

“We look forward to the outcome of the Trans-Inquiry from the Women & Equalities Select Committee to ensure others are spared Tara’s ordeal.

--Howlett

It is welcome news that Tara has been moved to a female prison. But she shouldn’t have gone to a male prison to begin with.

I urge the Justice Secretary [Michael Gove] to use this case as an opportunity to fix the system.

--Farron

Ms. Hudson does not posses a Gender Recognition Certificate, which is what caused the problem. Well, that and her drinking and aggro problems.

In order to receive a Gender Recognition Certificate at present, trans people must pay a £140 fee, and secure letters from medical professionals, evidence of having lived in their “chosen gender”, and approval from a gender recognition panel.