Blackboard

Post #7: LGBT People in the Prison System

I am unsure whether this is my tendency to lean towards more radical actions, but I honestly think more
should be done. What the PREA is offering is a great step forward, definitely, but there is more to be done.
I am particularly puzzled with the intersectionality of those stories represented in the article. We now
know that those who are over-represented in prisons and jails are those silenced in society. The stories of
CeCe and Janetta really made me think about that. They made me think about how one part of the identity
or the situation has to be neglected for the best case scenario can take place. And that makes me mad. It is
very upsetting that Janetta had to endure sexual assault because it would have been more harmful to
report than not to. It is also upsetting that when CeCe was arrested for killing that white man while
defending herself, the police did not pay any mind to her injuries. They did not even let her use the
services, which should be provided for all citizens. I am glad the the PREA call for the involvement of the
LGBT advocates in the actions necessary, specially for housing. But let's not treat those issues as onedimensional. Let's also call Black Rights Advocates and people of color advocates. Those people in prison
are not there solely because they belong to the queer community, but also because of their race, and that
needs to be addressed more obviously and intentionally in my opinion.

That is why the story of Benjamin Todd Jealous spoke to me the most. Benjamin spoke what was on my
mind reading the rest of the narratives. " We need to end institutionalized homophobia and transphobia,
just as we need to end institutionalized racism. We will be more successful in both fights if we continue to
see them as part of one united struggle a struggle to achieve equality in the land of the free and home of
the brave." p.2. Intersectionality needs to be visible in all cases, no case should be treated as an isolated
situation. We are the result of our multi-dimensionality.
Hanssens, Catherine, Aisha C. Moodie-Mills, Andrea J. Ritchie, Dean Spade, and Urvashi Vaid. "Creating a Roadmap for
Change." Healthcare at a Turning Point A Roadmap for Change (2012): 197-218. Web.