Does anyone know of any support groups for Gays and Lesbians in the prison system? My brother recently moved to the Mt Pleasant, Iowa facility for the sexual offender program. In the facility, they have a support group for the inmates to talk about concerns specific to GLBT's such as coming out, talking with parents and becoming comfortable with yourself. It is believed to be one of the few, if not the only one of its' kind. Just wondering if there are any more in the country. Take Care, Iowa Photo

Hi Iowa Photo

Welcome to the PTO family. :)

Wow !!! That's great they have such a support group in this prison !! I never heard of something similar anywhere else !! Do you know if it's affiliated to a national organization such as IGLA or ACLU or if it's just something local ??

Thanks
Phil

I believe the prison one of my penpals is in has a support group for GLBT. He's not gay so he couldn't give me details but briefly mentioned it in one letter. I think it's great that it's available!

Hi Phil; I have only heard from one other person so far that there is a support group for LGBT's in their facility. The group in Mt Pleasant Iowa believes they are the only one that has a support group, so I'm trying to find out if that is in fact true. So, to answer your question, No, I'm not aware of any national group. It would be nice to have but probably hard to sustain, given the rules that most facilities have regarding interaction between inmates. It's a pity, because they sure could benefit from it. And isn't it what the prison system is suppose to do? Support the inmates to assure they have a good self image and allow the person to re-enter society? Okay, Bitter, party of one! Take Care.