Trans Prisoner Letter Writing

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TPI is looking for volunteers to work with us to support incarcerated trans and queer persons for about three hours a day on a regular basis. The prison and "justice" system is our society's most oppressive and violent means of reinforcing gender stereotypes and traditional gender roles. Trans Pride Initiative believes that we will never achieve equitable treatment for trans and gender diverse persons until we address respect for gender expression and identity everywhere, including the justice system. And if the justice system is not addressed as part of our basic work to hold society accountable for its anti-trans violence, we establish hierarchies of more deserving and less deserving individuals, the antithesis of legitimate civil rights work.

As a society, our approach to addressing social harm needs to shift from a retributive (or punishment) perspective to one of restorative/transformative perspective that actually gives people the skills and tools to be successful participants in society rather than making it next to impossible to succeed. We are looking for persons who can come in regularly a couple times a month to help write letters. It takes time to learn how to be effective in this work. We appreciate those who come in to contribute once or twice -- and we have some efforts like writing holiday and birthday cards that are good for efforts like that -- but the real value is in learning how to be an effective advocate through experience. Won't you join us and help?

Our office hours are 12 PM to 9 PM, Monday through Saturday. Feel free to drop in and get started!