Criminalization of Trans & Queer People; Trans & Queer Prisoner Support (original) (raw)

x-posted to various queer- and trans- related communities, faggosaurus, possibly others.

if this is deemed inappropriate for one reason or another, let me know and i will delete it.

this is currently incomplete. will update this ASAP. please suggest stuff to add if you think of something.

Note: Some of the stuff that's listed may be triggering for survivors of physical and/or sexual abuse, recovering drug addicts.

these are notes from a workshop on Trans & Queer Prisoners Support that i went to tonight at the DC Infoshop. i got there late, so i don't have everything written down.

Criminalization of Trans & Queer People

(in no particular order)

- Personal and institutional transphobia & heterosexism in/from/with police, courts, etc.

- Lack of protection against discrimination

- Laws against sex work

- Lack of safety in public schools

- Penalties from past convictions

- Lack of relevant / sensitive services

- Lack of accessible shelters / emergency housing

- Criminalization of poverty

- Lack of affordable housing

- Criminalization of public sex

- Homophobic & Transphobic violence

- Criminalization of HIV-related behavior

- War On Drugs

- War On Terror

- Lack of health care

these are notes on Trans & Queer Prisoners Support and why it's important. again, these are incomplete, and i will update the list ASAP. feel free to suggest things that you think i should add.

Trans & Queer Prisoners and Supporting them

- Isolation from other queer & trans people in society [outside of prison]

- Lack of health care access (hormones, HIV meds, other meds, psych counseling, etc)

- Sexual violence

- Physical violence (

- Gender inappropriate housing

- Lack of conjugal visits

- Discrimination in legal representation, juries, judges

Lastly, here's a (possibly incomplete) list of things that those of us @ the Infoshop workshop tonight were considering, regarding setting up a group for supporting trans & queer prisoners.

Legal Advocacy

Queer- & Trans-specific re-entry programs [[which I'm assuming means re-entry into mainstream society from prison]]

Queering prison abolition / prison support work (bringing queer- & trans- specific info)

Push for queer & trans healthcare in prisons

Education/Outreach in LGBTQ communities on prison issues

Penpals, Books, Info, Literature, Condoms/Safer Sex Info

Coalition Building

Restriction of prisoners' access to certain things that the prisons [administrative/faculty people?] are against (mail)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Any kind of queer- and trans- related prisoners info, general prisoners support info, prison (and prisoner) statistics, anything like that that you can provide will be very much appreciated!! Thanks in advance!