enbie professor

word nerd . dog parent . doll maker . unicorn collector . sticker hoarder . podcast enthusiast .

[billiamshakesqueer]

“The National Inmate Survey (NIS) administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics found 35 percent of transgender inmates held in prisons and 34 percent held in jails experienced one or more incidents of sexual assault at the hands of facility staff or other inmates in a one year period.”

While I find this statistic to be horrifying, I unfortunately can’t say that it surprises me. There are so many layers as to why this is fucked up that I don’t know where to start. Transphobia? Sexism? Rape Culture? The Prison System? Sometimes it all seems too much.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/federal-survey-transgender-inmates-more-likely-to-be-victims-of-sexual-assault/

Survey: Transgender inmates more likely to be victims of sexual assault

"I was laughed at, ridiculed, and even the butt of many officer's jokes," said one transgender inmate

[eniyatheelf]

So I had to say reading the SLRP journal which is where I had taken the text from ("It's War In Here" pages 11-15) hit me really hard. Not only being a wife of someone who is transmasculine who tells me how terrified he is of ever having to go to jail, but this section caught my eye about transgender youth and how it affects them. The majority of transgender youth is homeless or low poverty, living in Seattle for a little I've witness this and still know a few of my transgender friends who are in sex work because it's the only thing they think they can do to make money and this is in SEATTLE! The staple city who prides themselves on how accepting they are of their LGBTQIA folx and yet there is still discrimination and transgender people who result into being homeless, without medical treatment or medical insurance and doing illicit and illegal activities just to keep a roof over their heads. With these statistics it is shown that there is still violence and discrimination from those, especially in the police force, who don't understand and without understanding they are either afraid or aggressive towards that person or idea that's making them uncomfortable or confused instead of trying to ask questions and being understanding.

I would say this is an erasure poem but I like to say this is more of a collage of words, statistics and ideas.

[bayleemarie-deactivated20210504]

     The amount of discrimination that trans people face in prison was very distressing to read about, but it’s something that is important to be aware of. I don’t understand how the government could just take away basic human rights away from someone like healthcare or disregard the amount of sexual assault trans people face or placing them in the wrong prison. It’s great to see programs like the TGI Justice Project, though, who give legal services and peer advocacy, and to see the community bind together to help a very important cause–it’s very inspiring! I hope to see a big change in my lifetime.

[bayleemarie-deactivated20210504]

“ Any successful effort to end homelessness must recognize the diversity of individuals who find themselves homeless and attempt to understand their varied experiences and needs” (Mottet and Ohle, 79).

     I never understood, and still don’t, the hypocrisy of politicians wanting homeless people off the street, but putting anti-homeless architecture on every corner. They want homeless people off the streets without helping them in any shape or form. Trans people are forced into homelessness by discrimination of all kinds be it employment, housing, and/or schools. It’s really disgusting how the soggy tangerine man is proposing an anti-trans rule. Housing is a human right.

[morosegoth]

This activity allowed me to show the harsh realities of being trans in prison alongside how trans people help each other in the prison system. I think it’s important to acknowledge the brutal treatment and experiences trans people face in prison. They are often assigned to a prison that doesn’t match their gender identity, have their access to hormones stripped away, and face constant threats of violence and sexual assault. It’s also important to acknowledge how resilient trans people are. For example, the founder of Black and Pink, Dominique Morgan, has had her own experiences in prison but still finds the strength to help her trans community. After living through that experience herself she overcomes the trauma and pain it has caused her to improve the realities of other trans folk.

[bayleemarie-deactivated20210504]

“ Any successful effort to end homelessness must recognize the diversity of individuals who find themselves homeless and attempt to understand their varied experiences and needs” (Mottet and Ohle, 79).

     I never understood, and still don’t, the hypocrisy of politicians wanting homeless people off the street, but putting anti-homeless architecture on every corner. They want homeless people off the streets without helping them in any shape or form. Trans people are forced into homelessness by discrimination of all kinds be it employment, housing, and/or schools. It’s really disgusting how the soggy tangerine man is proposing an anti-trans rule. Housing is a human right.

[thegaycondor]

Anyway, I love Travis McElroy.

[kadebiti]

This activity really caught my attention because it embodies another example of how trans people are unfairly targeted by toxic, right-wing bigots. Although the Trump administration’s attacks on trans rights is very distressing, the overall unity of trans allies and activists to fight back is what is so inspiring. We all need to come together and fight to ensure these basic humans rights.

[rubyreadingtrees]

Homelessness in general is looked down upon so much in this country by those who don’t experience it. People are often blamed for being homeless like it is all completely in their control. For many who are homeless, discrimination is a big reason why they don’t have a home. Transgender people are discriminated against on so many fronts that it forces them to poverty and to lack basic housing. Every human has a right to basic housing. It is a foundation upon which the rest of our lives flourish from.

[billiamshakesqueer]



When thinking of home, most of us think of an actual house or an apartment. But the reality is that some people don’t get that. They get a spot underneath a bridge or a bench in a park. These places are becoming less and less common with the implementation of anti-homeless architecture. and the reality is that homelessness disproportionately affects trans people, despite the fact that there are literally thousands of empty buildings and empty homes that could be filled and used to house the homeless.



[cottagetwigs]

A house can be red, with a tin roof. Especially as a child, a home is the sunshine, bushes outside, and a little gravel road. It has nothing to do with the individual that lives there, it has all to do with human beings belonging in a home. It wasn’t complicated to me at that young age, it was simple as being a human. Now that I’m older, I still hold this belief but to a stronger opinion due to the oppression and injustice I’ve seen in those who are not homeowners. 

[rubyreadingtrees]

As long as discrimination continues, even with anti-discrimination laws in place, trans people will never have the equality in our society that they deserve. The laws are not enough. We need to show support to trans people in our own communities. We need to meet them where they are and help at a personal level.

[kadebiti]

This piece of advice from Cava resonated with me the most because of how liberating and complex it can be. Trans people have such unique stories to tell and when they break away from the shackles of conformity, they become so much stronger!

[billiamshakesqueer]

We live in a world that has been designed to kill and harm anyone who is “different.” This needs to change.

[bayleemarie-deactivated20210504]

I have never done an erasure poem before, so I tried to be pretty simplistic with it. The Spade article and interview really motivated me to research on ways to help in my local community!

[morosegoth]

My drawing was particularly inspired by the Nonprofit hopes to build 20 ‘tiny homes’ for Black transgender women NBC News Report (https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/nonprofit-hopes-build-20-tiny-homes-black-transgender-women-n1233500). An important part of this article is that this is a trans-led organization. A big part of this unit is trans mutual aid in which trans people band together to help one another when the government and other social services aren’t. I think this article shows how trans people have come together to tackle some of the problems they are facing. It is also important to note that this initiative is particularly targeted at black trans women who are even more likely to experience homelessness.

[bayleemarie-deactivated20210504]

Highlight: Lucy Hicks Anderson, a black trans pioneer

By Malaysia Walker, TEAP Advocacy CoordinatorTransgender African-Americans have made significant contributions to history. Their stories are often ignored, overlooked, or discredited. We highlight the story of Lucy Hicks Anderson, a black trans pioneer.Lucy was born was in 1886, assigned male at birth, but identified as a woman. She insisted on wearing dresses to school and

     This article talks about Lucy Hicks Anderson, a black trans women, who was born in 1886. When she was little, her mother took her to a physician who told her to raise Lucy as a girl. Lucy was a popular chef and hostess in California and earned a lot of money from it which led her to opening her own boarding house. This boardinghouse was accused of causing an outbreak of an STD and Lucy was examined as well, which led to her and her husband, Reuben, getting 10 years probation as it was illegal for two “men” to marry along with charges of fraud and impersonation. Lucy and Reuben were later banned from the town of Oxnard, so they moved to Los Angeles until 1954 when Lucy died. 

     Lucy was the trans person to fight for marriage rights, so I’m a little surprised she wasn’t in the Stryker piece. She was such a strong woman to fight for what was right even though at the time it was incredibly dangerous. It was also really nice to read that the physician she was taken to when she was little supported her as a young woman. That’s something, I think, that is a rare occurrence even  in todays society, let alone almost a hundred years ago. I loved reading about her!!