Some basic facts about being LGBT in prison

[tranniegurl]

Anti-queer discrimination and violence not only follow LGB&T people into the criminal justice system, but also help put us there.

• Incarcerated LGBT people-both youth and adults- are often are often subjected to verbal harrassment, phyiscal abuse and other forms of mistreatment from other inmates, guards and the criminal justice staff.
• Sexual assult and rape by inmates and staff are often endemic in many correctional facilities. GLBT persons are usually the target.
• Trans people are often subjected to additional forms of harassment and abuse while incarcerated. This may include functional classification as sex offenders, denial of apporiate health care services, and prescription drugs (hormones) placement in gender inapporiate facilitites and the like.
• LGBT people in correctional facilities are often segregated from the general population and placed in isolation allegedly for their own safety. In reality, isolation magnifies the harashness of incarceration.
• Poverty, homophobia and transphobia funnel many young LGBT people into the system.

[brokenf]

really sad this is. prison seems to be like high school. people need to grow up!

[Ken]

Well, prison is its own society, and it has its class system as well as its separation or segregation of people based on socioeconomic rules similar to the outside world...

Prison is also a culture and society that is largely based on authority and dominance from the prison administration down to the weakest link in the population... this would be expected as well.

Being GLBT certainly has its drawbacks in prison, and to change that we have to first gain acceptance with basic free society first. Most prisons in the USA are in more rural areas where acceptance is probably not as prevalent outside of the prison anyway. Gaining this acceptance is key in my opinion.

[june5]

Thanks for posting those basic facts. I was not aware of that at all.

THAT MAKES ME SOOOO MAD!!! I guess some people always like picking on someone else, huh?

[nightowl1963200]

That is terrible. It seems like the men have more problems in prison than women. People can be so cruel.

Pam

[ms.katy]

But then again, there are two kinds of "facts" -- "facts" in the eyes of the ACLU and "facts" as the DOC sees them. Since both parties have demonstrated their bias beyond a doubt, I see no reason why I should trust either of them. That is why I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

[Just Me 1973]

I recognize all those facts. It sums up what my friend is going through every day.