Gotta say this for Bradley Sirvio — he's always had a way for grabbing a headline.
The 55-year-old Sirvio is serving a life sentence for killing one George Schlegel with a hammer.
In November of 1995, Sirvio beat a man to death with a hammer before setting the victim’s house on fire. According to court records, Sirvio was checking himself into a detoxification center when he “volunteered to a staff member during the intake process that he may have murdered someone named George and then set the house on fire to cover up what he had done.
A repeat offender, Sirvio has several other convictions that include multiple charge of assault, burglary, and theft.
After almost 30 years in prison, Sirvio apparently made a deep, personal discovery about himself:
A convicted murderer who is a biological male was transferred to the Shakopee women’s prison [in November 2023]...When asked about the man’s transfer to the women’s prison, Aaron Swanum with the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) said the agency does not provide details of incarcerated individuals’ transfers prior to their transfer due to “security concerns.”...“Minnesota has now joined 10 other states and the District of Columbia in approving transfers to facilities matching an inmate’s gender identity. The DOC is committed to providing supportive and safe environments for people of all gender identities and our new policy reflects this commitment,” Swanum said.
Now when women's institutions like the WNBA start letting "trans women" into the league, it's likely to be more comical than tragic, at least until the league finally spirals into bankruptcy as the producers of "Juwanna Mann" sue them for copyright infringement.
But women's prisons? Where the women can neither check out any time they like nor leave? (Emphasis added):
A trans-identified male serving a life sentence for murder who was quietly transferred in to a women’s prison is now sharing a shower with female inmates, causing them to feel “violated.” Bradley Richard Sirvio, 53, was transferred into Minnesota women’s prison MCF-Shakopee at the end of last year after claiming to identify as transgender and adopting the name “Aurora.”...
Now, two women who are housed next to Sirvio have come forward to protest the situation. The women reveal that female inmates have been told to share a shower with Sirvio, despite the convicted killer having had “no surgery whatsoever.” The women, whose names have been altered to protect their identities, say that Sirvio’s resence is causing them to feel anxious and violated.
The case caused some turmoil, and not just in the press:
A longtime Department of Corrections (DOC) empoyee has left her career after biological men are now being allowe dn Shakopee state prison - Minnesota's only prison for women....After working for more than a decade as a GED instructor, Alicia Beckmann recently left her job because of a new transgender policy. Accoridng to Beckmann, the policy puts goth correctios staff and inmates at risk.
Beckmann explained how this has “created an unsafe environment.” She said Shakopee was“a very gender responsive facility. We are taught that women are biologically different from men. We have curriculum specific for women, so the environment has shifted drastically. I know that a lot of the incarcerated women do not feel comfortable in their living unit, they don’t feel comfortable walking about the property, they were uncomfortable in my classroom.”
There were reportedly five inmates "who were assigned male at birth" at Shakopee at the time that article was written.
It appears Sirvio is finally trying to meet the ladies halfway:
🚨NEW: Multiple sources confirm a male inmate has received bottom surgery while serving a life sentence for murder at Minnesota’s women’s prison in Shakopee, and taxpayers likely covered the cost.
— Liz Collin (@lizcollin) August 5, 2026
Bradley Sirvio is a convicted murderer who beat a man with a hammer and set the… pic.twitter.com/ngvkSLvgsV
But if you're a Minnesota taxpayer? Nobody is meeting you halfway:
“The Department of Corrections cannot confirm, disclose, or discuss the private medical information for any individual in our custody. It is important to understand that the agency is constitutionally and legally obligated to provide healthcare to people in state custody. Decisions about medical care and treatment are made by qualified healthcare professionals based on established standards and an individual patient’s clinical requirements.
Healthcare provided to those committed to the custody of the Department of Corrections is funded through the Department’s appropriated healthcare budget. Because the DOC is constitutionally obligated to provide medically necessary healthcare, and regardless of the diagnosis or treatment needed, associated costs are borne by the department,” the statement reads.
Minnesota female inmates need a Sophie Cunningham. Jayme Ali, a former Shakopee inmate, might be the closest they can get:
[Ali], a former Shakopee inmate who has been leading the charge against the DOC’s trans policy, said in the Alpha News documentary “Minnesota Mao” that Gov. Tim Walz’s administration “voluntarily put me in harm’s way.”
“I begged. My only options in there was to go into protective custody if I didn’t feel safe. Why should I have had to do that? I’m a woman. I was born a woman. DOC, your number one policy and obligation is to keep me, to keep us safe,” Ali said through tears.
“And you actually put us and put me in harm’s way. If that’s not cruel and unusual punishment, I don’t know what is,” she continued.
During a November protest outside the prison, speakers read from letters written by some of the female inmates who explained how the policy has “created an unsafe environment” and led to “more trauma.”
While the issue of "trans women" in sports may eventually hinge on Title IX litigation, the only thing that's going to help women in Minnesota prisons is a term or two of Republican control.
So that "protective custody" thing Ms. Ali was talking about is probably the best option for now.
