We need to build a reliable ecosystem for Trans and Intersex people who are incarcerated.
I am a Trans and Intersex organizer who has personally experienced the profound impact of the criminal legal system through the lens of my late father. Tragically, my father’s life was cut short due to complications arising from HIV while he was confined at a Texas prison in 2002.
However, what adds to the profound sadness is the fact that I never had the opportunity to know my father. He turned me and my family away, denying us any chance to visit him during his time behind bars. The absence of my father throughout my upbringing has left me with a deep sense of loneliness and enduring trauma that continues to shape my life today.
Yet, in the face of these personal challenges, the concept of abolition has become my guiding light. Abolition, as a framework, has empowered me to understand and educate myself about the oppressive practices and policies that disproportionately harm individuals from marginalized communities, particularly those who identify as Trans and Intersex and find themselves incarcerated.
Mo Cortez of Texas Advocates for Justice taking notes at the bi-weekly commissioners meeting in Harris County
We live in a white supremacist society that relentlessly polices individuals from birth, subjecting Trans and Intersex people to direct harm and criminalization from a young age. Shockingly, there is a severe lack of data on incarcerated Trans and Intersex individuals in the United States. This absence of data enables the perpetuation of harmful practices within the criminal legal system, as they conveniently ignore their role in marginalizing these communities.
In the wake of the George Floyd uprising in 2020, I virtually joined fellow Trans and Intersex advocates at the White House to discuss the protection of Intersex rights and visibility. Regrettably, there was a glaring absence of meaningful dialogue on abolition or concrete commitments to safeguard the rights of Trans and Intersex individuals who are incarcerated.
To create a pipeline of support for incarcerated Trans and Intersex individuals, it is crucial to establish safe spaces for discussions, empower organizers to advocate fearlessly, and prevent harmful policies from impacting those behind bars.
Throughout my journey, I have encountered remarkable organizations and activists within the Austin and Houston communities. I am also fortunate to have a supportive family that stands by my efforts to dismantle the criminal legal system, ensuring others do not endure the suffering my family and I have experienced.
However, in order to truly uplift my community, particularly incarcerated Trans and Intersex individuals, we must elevate our efforts to the next level. It is imperative that we build supportive spaces and advocate relentlessly to foster an environment where everyone can thrive.
Although the expansion of abolitionist organizations in the state of Texas is growing, here are some supportive ways that you or your organization can do to help build a better ecosystem for Trans and Intersex people who are incarcerated:
Abolition is a healing space that is built on the action of decolonizing institutions that harm people in the criminal legal system. Educate yourself by expressing compassion. Every year, organizations around the nation write to incarcerated people. Become a pen pal or send someone a book who is incarcerated. Black & Pink National is an organization that advocates for a pen pal program that matches incarcerated members with penpals who correspond, build relationships, and participate in harm reduction and affirmation. It’s a space where LGBTQIA2S+ people can chat with someone regularly. The overall goal is a harm reduction strategy, giving that person a support network outside prison.
Join a community of organizers that engage with your local politicians or city council. Make it a day of advocacy and watch it grow. Grassroots Leadership teaches its members to speak to local leadership and works with community members to identify issues in the community. There are several programs that you can be part of; learn more here.
Fund an organization that works closely with lived experiences of people who have been incarcerated. Our Executive Director, Annette Price, wrote an article on why funding help develop supportive strategic pipelines that lead to abolition.
As the digital spaces expand, the voices of those directly impacted are being put on podcasts, articles, and national publications. We must uplift their voices by letting them state their needs and wants and be comfortable speaking their truths.
Fight for the abolition of the criminal legal system and join an organization in your community.
When it comes to people in my community that I work with, especially incarcerated Trans and Intersex people, I believe we need to start taking it to the next level and do more to build spaces that support and advocate so that everyone can thrive. Everyone deserves an ecosystem of support, and Trans and Intersex people trapped in the carceral system are no exception.
To learn more about Intersex Topics, check out The Houston Intersex Society here.