Black and Pink July and August 2016 Newspaper

Black & Pink July and August 2016 Newsletter

Black & Pink chapters have been active this summer!

Boston Black & Pink members have fun under the sun at the F*ck the 4th event

Chicago Black & Pink had a 3-year birthday community dinner. Happy birthday!

Boston chapter built a mock solitary confinement cell and displayed it at Boston Pride to educate attendees and get petitions signed to end solitary. Ty holds a “solitary is torture� sign.

Volunteers direct attendees to the 30ft wide booth, with information on ways to get involved, teeshirts, and artwork next to the mock cell

PRIDE month celebrated all over the world!

New Delhi, India

Phuket, Thailand

Atlanta, Georgia, US

Cologne, France (nice colors!)

London, England

Havana, Cuba

Seattle, WA, US

Hanoi, Vietnam

Dear friends,

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I hope this note finds you as well as possible. I know that some folks are probably melting in the heat. I know that some prisons are not providing appropriate ventilation, air conditioning, and fans. Please know that you are being thought of during the summer heat.

As you go through this month’s magazine you will see a continuation of stories from people about the Orlando shooting. The process of grief can be long. I imagine we will have stories, letters, and poems about Orlando for months and even years to come. As was noted last month and in the post card that went out, there are not enough spaces inside prison to do the needed healing when tragedies like the Orlando shooting occur.

Our magazine can, hopefully, be an outlet for some of that healing work. Hopefully you can feel a sense of connection as you write your own responses and read the responses of others. Grief and anger are powerful and we need to turn that in to action. There is much we can all do to help our world heal.

I have been thinking a lot about substance use and drug addiction lately. The War on Drugs is one of the leading causes of incarceration in the United States. This is especially true for Black, Latin@, and American Indian/Indigenous people. I realize that we do not talk enough about drug use and struggles in the newspaper. It is something we talk about a lot with formerly incarcerated and currently court-involved people who are on the outside.

There is often a lot of work to be done to support sobriety when folks are on the outside.

There is also, however, some support and space that we should make for people on the inside.

As an open family Black and Pink does not have any judgment about people choosing to use any kind of substance. The truth is that we all use mind/body altering substances.

If you eat candy, drink soda, or have coffee, then you’re using substances that alter your mind/body. Caffeine and sugar are both strong substances that impact our mood, energy, and attention. Some of us even get addicted to these substances. Have you ever had a headache because you had not had your morning coffee? I know I have. While almost all of us use some kind of substance throughout the day the truth is that some substances have more of an impact on the body than others.

I have been in recovery for almost 8 years. My drug of choice was alcohol. I used to binge drink way too much, black out regularly, and make really bad choices for my safety and the safety of others around me. Not drinking at all is the best solution for me. I remember when I tried moderation. I would try to just have one or two drinks and stop, but that never worked for me. I know some people who are good at moderation, that has never been my strength.

What has been your relationship to substances? Do you struggle with addiction? What is your drug of choice? Black and Pink released in our survey report very clear recommendations to decriminalize all amounts and all types of drugs. We do not believe making substances illegal makes any one’s life better. Our strong belief in decriminalization does not mean we ignore the problems substances can cause in someone’s life. Some people make choices to use substances because life feels too challenging at times and it is really important to have a break. Other people use substances to make a fun night even more fun. There are those who use substances because they feel too much pain without them. As an open family we are not trying to get everyone to stop using all substances. Our dream is for people to have access to the support and resources they need.

Substance use can be a really important coping mechanism. It is really important that we do not take anyone’s coping mechanisms away without being sure they have plenty of other coping mechanisms to replace it with.

It is equally important that we remove temptations from people who have made a decision that they want to give something up. If someone wants to stop using heroin, it is our responsibility as a family to make sure they have all the tools they need to do that. We need to make sure they are not put in a place where they have to be tempted.

The US prison system is not helping any of us truly deal with the harms that can be caused by addition.

As an open family we must work together to create the solutions we need that honor people’s right to make choices about their bodies while being sure everyone has access to treatment and care that they need. We need to keep coming up with new answers knowing that once there were no prisons, that day will come again.

In loving solidarity, Jason

What’s Inside!

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• Letters to our Black & Pink family 5, 9, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19!

• Poetry from the heart 6 & 17 • A Vision for Black Lives 7 • Alton Sterling and Police Impunity in LA, 8 • Call for Visionary Fiction Submissions!

10 & 11 • First Visionary Fiction Submissions! 12, 13 • Report back from USP Tucson Pride celebration 20& 21 • Black & Pink Address and Topics 22 • Boston march against prisons 23 • SF Pride Parade awardees withdraw 24 Statement of Purpose Black & Pink is an open family of LGBTQ prisoners and “free world” allies who support each other. Our work toward the abolition of the prison industrial complex is rooted in the experience of currently and formerly incarcerated people. We are outraged by the specific violence of the prison industrial complex against LGBTQ people, and respond through advocacy, education, direct service, and organizing.

Black & Pink is proudly a family of people of all races.

About this Newsletter Since 2007, Black & Pink free world volunteers have pulled together a monthly newsletter primarily composed of material written by our family’s incarcerated members. In response to letters we receive, more prisoners receive the newspaper each issue!

This newspaper is being sent to over 9,400 prisoners!

Disclaimer: Please note that the ideas and opinions expressed in the Black & Pink Newspaper are solely those of the authors and artists and do not necessarily reflect the views of Black & Pink.

Black & Pink makes no representations as to the accuracy of any statements made in the Newspaper, including but not limited to legal and medical information. Authors and artists bear sole responsibility for their work. Everything published in the Newspaper is also on the internet—it can be seen by anyone with a computer. By sending a letter to “Newspaper Submissions,” you are agreeing to have your piece in the Newspaper and on the internet. For this reason, we only publish First Names and State Location to respect people’s privacy. Pieces may be edited to fit our antioppression values and based on our Editing Guidelines.

Black & Pink Hotline The hotline phone number is 617.519.4387! The hotline will be available Sundays 1-5pm (Eastern Time) for certain. You can call at other times as well and we will do our best to answer your calls; they will be answered as often as possible. We are sorry that we can only accept prepaid calls at this time. The purposes of the hotline are: Supportive listening. Being in prison is lonely, as we all know. The hotline is here for supportive listening so you can just talk to someone about what is going on in your life.

Organizing. If there are things going on at your prison in terms of lock downs, guard harassment, resistance, and anything else that should be shared with the public, let us know so we can spread the word.

Restrictions: The hotline is not a number to call about getting on the pen pal list or to get the newspaper.

The hotline is not a number to call for sexual or erotic chatting. The hotline is not a number for getting help with your current court case, we are not legal experts.

We look forward to hearing from you! This is our first attempt at this so please be patient with us as we work it all out. We will not be able to answer every call, but we will do our best. We apologize to anyone who has been trying to get through to the hotline with no success. We are still working this system out.

Thank you for being understanding.

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Letters to our Black & Pink family —▼—

Dear beloved family,

I want to extend my love to each and every one of you. I want to send my prayers and express my sorrows to and for the families and the 102 victims of the Orlando, Florida terrorist attack at one of our familial clubs on June 12, 2016. You are not alone in your mourning. I am crying beside you in heart and in spirit. Now I am a first time writer, so please allow me to introduce myself. I am a 25 year old bisexual white man. I want to comment on 2 entries in the My 2016 issue of B&P.

First, Jason’s “message” on superheroes and comics. I disagree that his message was a silly reflection. I believe that we ALL truly are superheroes, if we choose to be. We do not need to be able to fly, walk through walls, or throw fire from our palms to be superheroes. Just because we can’t do these things does not mean we can’t be superheroes. I mean, one of Jason’s “super powers” is his ability to keep our LGBTQ family united through this newsletter and the pen pal program. One of my “super powers” is my ability to find some reality in something that seems to be pure fantasy. All of us, in many ways, are like the DC, Marvel, and CAPCOM characters. Our “super powers” are just not as mythical, yet are just as glamorous! Our powers must be developed and nurtured. And just like the TV superheroes, we all have weaknesses. So we must determine our weaknesses and develop a wall of protection around our weaknesses.

We also have a team to fight for justice, equality, freedom, and liberation. That team is you and I. We are the “Super Black & Pink Pride League!”. And according to the count in May 2016 we have within prison, over 9,400 members of this elite team of loving, compassionate Superheroes! And there are many more members on the outside. So I call upon you all, in the closet or out, my heroes, find and nurture your true powers. You are all my heroes and I need all of you to help me in our fight for liberation. We will win...only if we stand together.

Butterfly B of Texas, my beloved sister, your poem entitled “ME” really touched my heart and is part of the reason I decided to finally write a submission after 3 years of receiving the newsletter. I have a similar poem called “Look a Little Deeper” that I will submit.

I want you all to know that you all live in my heart, warming and comforting. And if you so desire, I will live in your hearts so you will never have to be lonely.

Today the LGBTQ community was attacked by a man in Florida. As a gay man I understand first hand how the LGBTQ community is misunderstood. Too many people believe that loving somebody of the same sex is a disease. But as we all know, it’s a way of life.

For too many years the LGBTQ has been misconstrued to be Taboo. More knowledge needs to be spread to people outside the LGBTQ community.

I am deeply saddened by this shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando Florida. It is a extremely heartbreaking event. In my opinion judging somebody on their sexual preference is the same thing as judging somebody on the color of their skin, the clothing they wear or by what religious faith they belong to. It all needs to be abolished.

It doesn’t matter if you’re behind prison walls or outside those gates, chances are you know somebody who is of the LGBTQ family. Each and every day our brothers and sisters need your support. The more we support each other the stronger we become. Don’t be afraid to stick up for one another. In the prison I’m located at in Wisconsin I’ve seen on numerous occasions straight men hurl derogatory comments at Gay or Bi men. And in those groups are people that are supposed to be friends with the man who’s being put down, those individuals won’t stop the problem because they’re afraid of the social stigma of “Guilty by association.” If those friends won’t stick up for you because they’re afraid of what their friends might say it’s time to find some new friends.

After the shooting in Florida, the media needs to starts shining a light on the LGBTQ community.

Enough with the shootings. Everybody needs to gain a better knowledge into different cultures we can end all this nonsense violence.

I hope this letter gives people something to thing about. This is my first letter to the B+P family newsletter. I love all of you and I look forward to reading future articles. I’ve gained lots of insights on different issues. In February of 2016 I found out my dad is transgender and my twin brother is also gay. Thanks so much for the paper and all the support that’s send out each month.

Sincerely, Jordan B., WI

Stay Strong and Love Deep. Jesse AKA Lestat King! CA

Co

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Do Thugs Cry Do Thugs Cry When he has to stand on his lonely & battle these insanity cause his own flesh & blood sees his sexuality & says he don’t belong to me so he’s handed discrimination & branded a tragedy, called an abomination cause she’s a transgender standin next to me!

Do thugs cry!

When he’s forced to embrace stagnation & he’s buried in hatred & indignation & viewed as bein soft cause his voice is hella gental but he’s the same individual that fights for liberation with sharpen utensils. He’s the same individual that pushes a hard line for this family & turns down no issues so they say he’s violent & rowdy, a bomb with no fuse, but tranquility what he longs for but Hell is what he’s been through so he closes his eyes & says good bye then lose himself to drug use.

Do thugs cry.

When he has to walk through trials & tribulations doin years in solitary confinement watchin smiles turn to tears as friendships, acquaintances & even love ones disappear.

Holdin on to memories of moments he held dear like them days his seeds was born or that time he said “I’m yours” before the weed & drink was gone & the nights was filled with moans; before the doors was closed & these bluses was put on; before the letters deceased & the blocks on the phone; before the judge & jury heard that snitch sing his song; before this penitentiary was a place called home!

Do thugs cry.

By E. Wi. AKA Getdown, CA

To Be Whole I woke up broken, never completely myself.

I hate the mirror, for what I will see, I was born a girl, but only in my mind, I want to be whole, I wanted to be me.

I fear public opinion, more than you know, I can’t stand the boys at my school, I hurt from within, cry every night, I envy them, they who are cruel, I see you looking, through rose colored glasses, I bet it’s nice to be complete, I long for a body that matches my soul, I think to myself, should I admit defeat?

I dream of a time, long from now, I yearn for an answer as I pray, I want what you have, and I cannot, I want to be whole, if just for a day.

-Ella, AR

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Recently released platform: A Vision for Black Lives

Look for details in future issues!

Alton Sterling and Police Impunity in Louisiana

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By Lydia Pelot-Hobbs / 11 July 2016, versobooks.com The Baton Rouge police killing of Alton Sterling has sent ripple effects across the US. Shot while pinned to the ground outside a north Baton Rouge convenience store, Sterling was the 505th person killed by a police officer this year. Only a day later, the murder of Philando Castile during a traffic stop in Minnesota further amplified the #BlackLivesMatter calls for an end to police brutality and the everyday violence of broken windows policing.

As has been the case in other locales, protests surrounding the murder of Sterling have named his death not as an aberration but as another link in the long chain of police violence in Louisiana. Activists and organizers in Louisiana have connected the shooting of Sterling to the recent killing of Black 22-year-old Eric Harris in New Orleans. Last February, deputies from the neighboring Jefferson Parish Sheriffs Office (JPSO) chased Harris and his girlfriend Tyshara Bloustine into New Orleans from a Jefferson Parish mall. Following Harris and Bloustine crashing their car into a pole, the deputies shot up their car killing Harris. Once again, law enforcement justified this murder by claiming that officers’ lives were in danger, despite conflicting reports from Bloustine. While Jefferson Parish officials were quick to arrest Bloustine as an accessory, the investigation into the deputies that killed Harris continues to be slow.

While law enforcement authorities maintain that the slowness of their investigation is due to the multiple jurisdictions involved because JPSO deputies crossed parish lines, the dragging out of their investigation is also reminiscent of the failure of authorities to at first indict New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officers involved in the shooting of Black men on the Danzinger Bridge in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Initially cleared by internal NOPD investigations, the NOPD officers involved in the Danzinger shootings and subsequent cover ups were only indicted on federal charges in 2008 after community activists and independent investigative reporting compelled the Department of Justice to seriously examine the case. However, the win of the officers being found guilty in 2011 has been displaced by the widespread disappointment of the subsequent turns of their case. In 2013, five of the NOPD officers were given a new trial on appeal that concluded just a few months ago in April with a substantial reduction of the officers’ sentences. The trajectory of the Danzinger case has demonstrated not only the disposability of Black life but the difficulty of attaining anything that resembles justice for state-sanctioned violence at the local, state, and federal levels.

In addition, the Louisiana legislature’s passage of the already notorious “Blue Lives Matter” law in May, which makes the killing of a cop a designated hate crime, has communicated, once again, the state government’s investment in punitive power over the needs and lives of Black Louisianians. Indeed, it is noteworthy that the passage of this law occurred during a legislative session that was primarily tasked with figuring out solutions to the state’s current budgetary crisis that is the product of eight years of austerity measures under former Governor Jindal. Yet, instead of working to find ways to raise revenue to stem the budget cuts that have particularly hit Black working class residents of Louisiana, legislators crafted backlash legislation. Not only is the “Blue Lives Matter” law anchored in the debunked, yet still powerful, myth of the “Ferguson Effect,” it is a reminder of how the expansion of criminalizing legal mechanisms such as hate crimes legislation serves not to extend safety but to entrench the power of the prison industrial complex.

In spite of these challenges, people of Louisiana are continuing to mobilize and organize for an end to the racist state-sanctioned violence of police brutality. In the last week, organizers with #JusticeforEricHarris have been linking up with the loved ones of Alton Sterling; one of the largest protests in recent New Orleans history was staged under the still-standing Robert E. Lee monument in solidary with Baton Rouge on Friday July 8th; Baton Rouge youth organized a powerful march on capital on Sunday that thousands from across the state and elsewhere participated in; #NorthBatonRougeMatters with support from BYP100-New Orleans held a moving vigil on the Mississippi River on Sunday at dusk; and the people of Baton Rouge continue to rally at the convenience store where Alton Sterling was gunned down. These actions have been punctuated by the continual arrest of protesters in Baton Rouge which escalated Sunday to Baton Rouge police officers and state troopers in riot gear and armored vehicles indiscriminately arresting legal observes, journalists, and protesters alike. The arrests of over 200 people thus far in Baton Rouge is not a call to retreat but a reminder that it is the very power of the police to repress, control, and contain that we are struggling against. Defunding the cops and the other punitive arms of the state and resourcing institutions that allow communities to survive and thrive is critical to ending state-sanctioned violence and materializing collective freedom.

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Letters to our Black & Pink family Dear Sisters,

Like many of you, I am a transwoman housed in a male prison. I know that some days it is hard, that fighting the good fight is frustrating. The first girl to hit the barrier is bound to take some lumps; the barrier of sexism and discrimination is no exception. Someone has to be first and we are just the girls for the job.

Determined and motivated.

One area where I have recently made some progress is in pat and strip searches. PREA states that no searches can be conducted to determine your gender or development. Further, PREA states that security staff will be trained in “how to perform cross-gender pat-down searches, and searches of transgender and intersex inmates.” Per the PREA resource website and recent court rulings, there are three options available to search transgender inmates: 1) have the search performed by a member of that inmate’s gender identity, 2) have medical staff conduct the search, and 3) if no gender-same personnel are available, male staff may perform the pat-search. (This means that when men search us, they are to use the backs of their hands on our chest, groin, and buttocks). The size or presence of breasts is not a factor, nor is anything else. Medical staff may not determine your eligibility for this by your transitional state. Gender identity is the only ruling factor. If you identify as female, they must search you as a female.

When I first learned this I was scared. Not of the rules, but of standing up and asking for that in public. Even though I am a known transwoman, that is different than making an issue of it with security staff. Then I realized that my still being semi-closeted made me invisible to staff. Their position that they don’t need to change the policies for the few transwomen they see was justified. Sure I was on the rolls as trans, but I wasn’t pressing the issues. So, at my next patsearch, I hiked up my panties, so to speak, and made the request.

“I am transgender, please use the back of your hand across my chest.”

When he did it without a blink, I felt so validated.

But they have not all been so easy. A few days ago I made that same exact request. The officer looked at my chest and said,”There’s nothing there! I can conduct a pat search in any way I want.” He then searched me palm inward, grasping my breast as a show of authority before he was done. Weighing my options, I discussed this with staff as “a training discrepancy.” After all, what I am after is fixing the problem not a lengthy court

battle to”get back” at someone. After a discussion with several security staff members, they scheduled training for their officers on how to pat-search transwomen.

Victory by inches.

Renee, in Washington

—▼— To my loving family at Black & Pink:

This one goes out to all my T brothers & sisters.

My name is Jessica. I just got the latest issue of Black & Pink, I want all of you to know, that I feel your sadness and pain. I also understand it, all too well.

Since the age of 5, I knew I was a girl, and never was a boy. Today, I also know and believe that I am a woman. I am a 49 year old TG female, I am in a prison serving a life sentence and being refused access to female hormones.

The depression that I go through on a daily basis, people in these places, do not care about us, and actually hate us with no cause at all. We all need to band together, reach out to each other, reach out to each other. We need to make our voices heard, we need to fight to get policies changed in the jails & prisons concerning gender affirming care.

I was just recently informed that the GID committee is not, and will not, recommend hormones for me. Who are these people that get to play judge, and jury, and also executioner? They don’t know us, our suffering and pain, and they don’t want to know.

I am urging each and every person that is in the situation that I am speaking about, to ask, that if you have family, to ask your families to write letters to the health care administrators in your jails and prisons prisons, and jails seem to give us the care we need when loved ones get involved. So, no matter what the situation is, hormones, gender affirming clothing, or the right to represent yourself as you see yourself, that is the way to apply the pressure needed to get things moving in the right direction.

Jessica MA Lots of Love

Black and Pink’s Adventure into Visionary Fiction!

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“...when we talk about a world without prisons, a world without police violence, a world where everyone has food, clothing, shelter, quality education, a world free of white supremacy, patriarchy, capitalism, heterosexism – we are talking about a world that doesn’t currently exist.

But being able to envision these worlds equips us with tools to begin making these dreams reality. adrienne maree brown calls science fiction ‘an exploring ground,’ saying it offers a perfect medium for organizers to explore different outcomes and strategies in theory, before we have to deal with the real world costs.

She asks, ‘How do we handle the worst of our own behavior? How do we stop perpetuating our fears and assumptions? What are the long-term outcomes of applying models like truth and reconciliation, and transformative justice? This is one of the most exciting and far-reaching topics in science fiction.’”

We begin this introduction to our own adventure with this excerpt from Walidah Imarisha. You may have noticed in our paper two months ago that we had a bunch of pieces about Visionary Fiction and the power of imagination. We printed articles by Walidah, and others, to begin to get our brains thinking differently. So much of the newspaper is filled with stories of violence experienced by our family and moments of survival or triumph over prison administrators. We wanted to also tap into everyone’s creative brains, your imagination. We know that many of you write poetry and create art, we’ve printed amazing examples of both. We know that prisons try to crush creativity by locking you in concrete and steel cages, but we know that we can get that creativity free!

We want to tell some stories together. In order to do that we came up with some guidelines to help us. Three solar systems exist in a galaxy far, far away (appreciate the Star Wars reference???). Planets are part of a solar system, temporarily named X, Y, and Z (you can change that). The planets in solar system X have prisons; the planets in solar system Y have begun reform efforts, but are not completely free from the prison industrial complex; and the planets in solar system Z have never, ever, had prisons. Each solar system is made up of an unknown number of planets (you get to decide) and each planet within the solar system can be made up of different kinds of beings. The one rule is that planets in each solar system must follow the same practices around having prisons, reforming prisons, or never having had prisons. You can create any kind of planet you would like, but there are some rules about communication, resources, and transportation that you will see below. We created these rules to help us all create better stories together.

On Page 12, you will see an example “encyclopedia” entry submitted about a planet in solar system Z. “How do I contribute to the story?”, you may be asking. There are lots of ways. You can create a character, or multiple characters, that live on any of the planets we have already given an example of and you can write about them interacting with each other. You can write about conflicts they’re having, love they are feeling, political issues that are coming up, or anything else you can think of. If you don’t want to write a story, you can write poetry as if you were a being (like a human or some type of non-human being) coming from one of the solar systems.

You can draw an image of what you think the whole galaxy looks like, or one of the solar systems, or one of the planets in the solar system. You can write a news article about something that happened on one of the planets, or about tension rising between the galaxies, or about how the transformative justice model was used in a situation in solar system Z. There are lots and lots of ways that you can contribute.

Each month, moving forward, we will print 3 things that you all create, one from each solar system. One might be a picture, one might be a poem, one might be a story, or any combination of things that we receive from you all. Each following month readers can continue the story of characters that someone else created or start new stories. We encourage people to try out continuing someone else’s story. Lets see what we can build with one another. Have you ever read a “choose your own adventure” book? In some ways we are creating a project like that. Unfortunately we will not be able to print everything that is sent to us, but we do promise to collect the things that we do not print and put them online and one day collect it all into one big book. We think that this project can help us envision what our own world might look like free from prisons. When we practice this in other worlds, it make it easier for us to imagine how to do that here. We might not be able to transform into winged animals here and we might not be cyborgs, but there are things we can write about and learn from by using these fictional beings and make believe worlds to make something possible.

Another couple of things to keep in mind, visionary fiction is NOT utopian fiction. We do not want the worlds we are creating to be free from conflict. We do not want to pretend that there are no issues continued on page 25...

Black and Pink’s Adventure into Visionary Fiction!

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continued... around race, gender, sexuality, resource distribution, environment, etc. Rather than pretend everything is just great, visionary fiction encourages us to dive into the hard things and explain how injustice exists or how liberation is achieved. It is also important that our characters reflect marginalized communities. We know that the US prison system targets Black and Brown people, poor people, LGBTQ people, HIV+ people, people with disabilities, and we want to ensure that our stories of these new worlds center those who are marginalized.

It is important that we can see ourselves in fiction, so keep that in mind when you are writing or drawing.

Just as with all things that come in as submissions for the newspaper, we do have to do some editing. We do not generally edit content or grammar, but we do pay attention to things that are oppressive. While we encourage you to depict the oppression that exists in the worlds, and the ways characters resist it, we will not print things that are themselves oppressive to marginalized people in our real world. Also, everything that is sent to us, just like all other submissions, can be used by Black and Pink for any purpose, and we will certainly credit the authors with first name, last initial, and state. We have this as a uniform practice, even if some authors feel safe sharing their full name, because we want to reduce the risk of retaliation or prison guard focus on individual authors.

Hopefully you feel excited about this project. Hopefully writing fiction, illustrating our worlds, or creating imaginative poetry will be a good distraction for you. So much writing from inside prison walls relies on imagination. It relies on imagining the world beyond the cages that warehouse our people. It relies on remembering the world you left behind, a memory that is imperfect. We are excited that we are creating this together and cannot wait to read and look at what you create! Please send these submissions to our address at: Black and Pink – Visionary Stories Solar System Solar System X Solar System Y Solar System Z Temporary Name, (what should we name them?!?)

Level of Prison Currently has prisons Is working towards abolition Never had prisons, utilizes Industrial (utilizing reformist practices transformative justice Complex but potential for abolition) practices Resources the Planets Need

Electricity (primarily rural, Raw materials (minerals Entertainment much of the urban area has and metals for factory limited access to electricity) production), food, electricity

Resources the Planets Trade

Water, food crops

Information & intelligence services

Energy for electricity

Political system between the planets within the solar system

Beasts on each planet communicate with each other to plan how they can continue to devour and grow

Large federation of planets, modeled after the smaller "spokescouncil" described in example planet

Communication between the planets within the solar system

People from a planet send birds to other planets.

The birds from all planets communicate telepathically

Transportation and migration between the planets within the solar system

Transportation between planets is very limited.

Because of hierarchical social structure, most people with resources for a spaceship are rich. Some people steal spaceships in order to travel.

Each planet is a nation and they all report into a neoliberal organization like a UN that purports to be democratic but hides unequal power relations Digitally networked information sharing (similar to the internet).

Instantaneous communication!

Very advanced technology (like drones) for transport, but it is not often used as there is instantaneous communication and residents don't usually need to be in physical proximity

Through spirit communication, like telepathy by communicating through the spirit rather than the brain They have the innate ability to teleport from a spiritual source within

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Atraxon/Atraxia: First Visionary Fiction Submission!

Solar System Temporary name: System Z [never had prisons, utilizes transformative justice practices] Planet Name: Atraxon/Atraxia Slogan/motto: “The possibilities are limitless” Types of beings: Advanced humanoids who can shift gender. Regardless of current gender it is relatively easy to identify the individual as they have a unique appearance when assuming a specific gender. Also, they are not limited to the “traditional” male/female states but any trans state as well. They share the same racial diversity with parallels similar to earth. In addition to all of this they have full control over reproduction, only becoming pregnant when they want to. This is a serious decision as pregnancy cannot be terminated without grave harm to the parent and puts some limits on gender-shifting for the 9 month pregnancy lasts. They can interbreed with the humanoids from planet YEV, creating interesting shape/gender-shifting hybrids.

Climate & Landscape: Atraxon is roughly five times larger than earth with a global population around one billion. There are nine primary land masses that cover roughly 40% of the planet with thousands of small islands scattered across the seas and oceans. Salt water claims about 30% of planets total water reserves. Atraxon has a similar rotational period to earth, resulting in a similar 24 hour day. Gravity is a bit higher at 1.2g’s. Atraxon has a much longer revolutionary period, taking 1095 days (three earth years) to circle the sun. The landscape shares the same diversity in terrain as earth’s. The climate is gentler in regard to weather and storms, although the seasons mimic earth’s (they’re just longer). Atraxon is a conscious being capable of manifesting an “avatar” anywhere it desires in the solar system. It shares an empathetic bond with any living being within 500 miles of its surface (Atraxia is its feminine name) Population Density: Large urban areas on the two largest landmasses with small rural areas. Scattered/isolated populations across the rest.

Religion/belief system/shared societal morals: There are several major religions with many different branches. There are many minor religions. Not all religions are good, some seeking to oppress or limit being’s ability to express themselves.

Society generally believes that anything is possible as long as you believe in it. Good is a greater force than evil and love is the purest expression of it.

Political system/who is in power and how do they stay there: A senate that is composed of those who are most popular to represent different regions of the world. Larger communities have more senate seats. “The Prime” presides over the senate and is selected by Atraxon/Atraxia (the planet’s consciousness).

Social structure/hierarchy: more popular people are given general deference/regard/respect. There is a lot of posturing/ positioning to gain popularity Economic system: Free market, with the most popular brands overshadowing the less popular. Atraxon/Atraxia grants/ revokes all requests to develop/harvest resources. This has resulted in an influx of imported goods via the advance starships of TechTopia. Atraxon/Atraxia currently doesn’t object to this, but is monitoring the situation closely.

Specific export: Crystal lattice energy cells. Plentiful, but unique to Atraxon/Atraxia, these fast growing crystals can absorb huge amounts of solar energy which can then be used to power virtually anything. They can be recharged many times, but eventually wear out. Worn out crystals brought back to Atraxon/Atraxia are worth a small amount of money.

How is harm addressed? Through the empathetic link every living being shares with Atraxon/Atraxia. The being causing harm experiences it as it is inflicted in real time. If it is intentional, the empathetic feedback is stronger, if accidental, less.

Harm also results in lessening of popularity.

What is considered a “crime”? Physically harming other humanoids, exploiting/destroying the planet, conjuring dangerous beings via magic, using dangerous technology.

What does resistance look like? There are two major resistance movements. The first involves one of the minor religions which teaches gender-shifting is evil and that whatever gender you adopted at birth is the only one you should express.

They have magic that can damage a person’s spiritual aura making it difficult, if not impossible to shift genders. They claim it can only affect someone who is willing...

The second involves working with the resistance network from YEV. They buy information and intelligence from TechTopia on Incarcia and pass it on, and provide asylum to renegade TechTopian cyborgs.

Role of technology and magic: As on YEV, magic is ingrained in life here and available to all. Travel via spiritual teleportation is a skill one learns and becomes better at as their spirituality increases. They can also use magic to conjure ultraterrestrials, beings from other realities, typically used for various forms of entertainment. Ultraterrestrials are untouched by the empathetic link living beings are connected tothrough Atraxon/Atraxia. Technology that doesn’t harm the environment is welcomed, especially tech that provide entertainment. However, there is growing concern over a new type of virtual reality hardware. It is a small implantable device that provides a virtual world within a being’s mind. It provides a complete (and intense) sensory experience. Different virtual reality experiences can be purchased, although only through TechTopia imports.

-John L. in Florida Editor’s Note: What happens on this planet? Can you imagine characters and a plot? Can you create imagine other planets?

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Letters to our Black & Pink family Dear Brother’s and Sister’s of B+P:

Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim (In the name of Allah (God_. the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.)

As-Salam Alaykum, (Peace Be Upon You)

I am so glad to be able to unite you once more.

Before I start I’d like to say hello to a few people. Before I start I’d like to say hello to a few people. From my home state, Minnesota, Kenya. Hey, I’m not sure if you’re doing time in St. Cloud on Still - water, on even Red Wing. Wherever you’re at beep your head up. You are a part of something greater than just one man So don’t feel ashamed of who you are. Because Allah does not make mistakes. He presents challenges. The question you must ask yourself is. How would the prophet’s of Allah handle this? Hey I get out in 2 yrs and 7mos.

So look me up. I’d like to meet you in person. I hang out at the Say 90’s. Most the time I’m the only black man in there. I’ll be there Aug. 10, 2018 @ 10:00pm. I loved your poem keep sending them in with your letters too. We’re here for you my friend. We love you 100%!

Kenya, I wish I could hug you and make your pain go away. I love you :)

Now I’d like to write to Jack, Jack you didn’t say if you are in SMU1 or SMU2. I know them both very well. Anyhow, Jack do you realize you have been given lawyers? Many inmates do not fully understand a “class-action” lawsuit. So let me give you the definition from my Parson’s Law Dictionary.

“Class Action, a lawsuit brought by a representative member (s) of a long large group of persons on behalf of all the members of the group.

See Fed. R. Civ. Pr. 23.” Now what you may not know because of the way staff treat people there is. Charles Ryan was sued for the very reason you talk about in your letter. And that the lawsuit “Must Be” in all AZ prison libraries. So I advise you to ask the librarian for a copy of the Parson V. Charles Ryan. Because at the end it tells you how to get a hold of the lawyers and get this the Judge too. The judge want to know if AZ DIC is fulfilling his orders or not. Your letter tells me they are not! In case they play dumb which they will here is what you should put on your book request. Ask for: Parsons V Ryan, 2:12-CV-00601. You know what I’ll save you some time and headache. Here are the lawyers I delt with and got great results. Write to, Prison Law Office, General Delivery, San Quentin, CA 94964 or Daniel Struck, Struck Wieneke and Love, P.L.C., 3100 West Ray Rd., Suite 300, Chandler, AZ 85226-2473.

For reason you must put: Parson’s V. Ryan, 2:12-CV00601. This will tell them you are part of the class-

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Action law suit. I advise you to put the Parsons V. Ryan right after you put Dear Sir I am writing you because and so on.

Jack if you have put any of this on paper be sure to send it too. If you haven’t documented and of this I would start too! Let me share one more thing the PLO wrote. “Parsons V. Ryan is the class action lawsuit brought by our office and the ACLU, the Arizona Center for Disability Law, and two law firms, against ADC regarding numerous problems with ADC’s health care system and inhumane conditions in SMU’s. “C;ass action” means it covers all prisoners in the ten ADC prisons.” That should help you. Good luck! Don’t forget you can file your own lawsuit too and use the class action as evidence showing they still have not changed anything at SMU(s).

Dale, @ W.V. I saved you for last because your situation required the most attention. Were do I start?

GET OFF YOUR ASS! Your life is in danger! Dale if you are unwilling to push your issues to court DOC staff wont respond in bind. Under the United States Constitution your life is protected. (See 14th Amendment) as well as your property. If you look further up in this article.

You will see that Arizona Dept of Corrections was sued for their inhumane conditions as well. In Black’s law dictionary they ony have inhumane treatment.

They say: Physical or mental cruelty so sever that it endangers life or health. Under cruelty: The intentional and malicious infliction of mental or physical suffering on a living creature, esp. a human; abusive treatment; outrage. Cf. Abuse;

Dale, I would say placing you next to the person who woud like to do you harm is mental torment. And may cause PTSD. But I’m not a doctor. You may want to start seeing your mental health doctor. You should also know your state has a duty to protect you. Dale go to your law library and read Rights of Persons 4th edition

by Michael B. Mushlin. You’ll need Vol. 1 go to VII. Assaults by other inmates start at §3:36. However it is my opinion that you’ll need to find the book: A Jailhouse Lawyer’s Manual because it deal with Assault on LGBT or Effeminate Prisoners.

It starts out, University issues exist for gay, homosexual, or effeminate prisoners (prisoners with feminine characteristics). See ch. 29 of JLM, “Special Information for Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (“LGBT”) Prisoners,” explans many issues in detail, You should remember, however, that you do not have to wait to be attacked before you bring a lawsuit; you can sue before you are assaulted if you

Letters to our Black & Pink family feel prison officials are ignoring a substantial risk that you will be seriously harmed. You may want to look at case law such as United States v. Gonzalez, 945 F.2d 525, 526-27 (2dCir. 1991) (holding that shortening the prison sentence for an inmate plaintiff was possible when balancing the government’s interest with diminishing the likelihood that the inmate would be assaulted). I use this as an example.

Right now I am looking into inmates being able o write to jailhouse layers in other prisons. What I have seen so for is courts have uphold these communications as legal. Let me do more research and I’ll have a full understanding.

So until then Brothers and Sisters have a good day. Oh Yeah! Before I end congratulation on your win. You are my hero because standing up for your rights always lead to positive outcomes. The proof in the pudding. I’d like to eat you up. But on the real side congratulations again. Don’t ever give up on what you want or need!

Much Love, Naji Abdullal - aka - Anthony Jackson, AZ

—▼— Hello, my LGBTQ Family!

My name is Jonathan but I got by Servin, or Swerv for short. I’m 22 years old and proud to say that I’m gay. I know that I don’t write my family as often as I should and I’m sorry about that. After what just happened in Orlando, FL I felt like I need to share the pain and grief that I know you all feel. When I turned on my TV to watch the news and seen that 49 of my brothers and sisters were murdered and another 53 injured by a man who’s only motive was hate, I was absolutely devastated. Every time I think about it I feel sick. I am so tired of all the hate in this world. And I am beyond fed-up of the mental and physical abuse we are forced to endure every single day of our lives, just because we are not afraid to express our true selves.

It saddens me but also makes me angry when I sit and think of the real reason we are so heavily persecuted every day. We are hated for being different. We are hated for being strong. We are hated for being true to ourselves and to others. Most of all we are hated and persecuted because we stand for everything that the rest of the world is too afraid to. Every time one of us admits to the world that we are not ashamed of who we really are, we show that we are stronger than them. No one day goes by that I don’t catch people staring at me

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or talking about me. I can’t ever count how many times I’ve sat by myself at a table in the chow-hall when all the other tables were full, and watched people circle around me waiting for another table to come open because they don’t want to be seen sitting with a “fag”.

What gets me is most of the time it’s the same people I catch lusting off of me back at the house or out on the yard. But I don’t get mad at these people for how they act towards me. I feel sorry for them. Because they would rather lie to themselves and everyone else and be miserable, just to avoid being treated different.

When they could embrace how they truly feel, who they truly are, and know that the satisfaction of being real and not fake. I have been gay my entire life. Not once have I ever been attracted to the opposite sex. And I’ve spent a big part of my life hiding just to make others happy, even though it made me miserable. Then the day came that I realized, if I continue to hide who I truly am and how I truly feel, I’m going to end up dying alone and miserable. The reason I call you all my family is because you are the only ones who can ever begin to understand my pain. I love every single one of you with all my heart and am so proud of how strong you are for not being afraid to be you. To the family and loved ones of the victims in Orlando, FL., my thoughts and prayers will be with you always. Please do not let this cowardly act of hate and resentment break you. Stay strong and keep faith. For this is not the end; not for us, nor for those beautiful people who were killed just for being brave enough tot express who they truly are.

Now is the time, for our family to be strong and stand together. I know sometimes it may not seem like it, but love will always overrule hate. And I truly believe that if we will all stand together and not let hate stop us or slow us down, we can conquer it once and for all. If you ever feel like you’re alone, just remember that there are people out there, who you may not ever know, like me, who love you and care about you so very much.

You are forever my family and I will stand with you till the end. For all our brothers and sisters who have been taken from us over the years, for nothing more than being free minded, free spirited, and free willed; you have not gone in vain. The day will come where the world realizes we’re human beings too. I believe that as long as we stand together there is nothing we can’t do. And you an always count on me to stand with you and fight for what’s right. I love you, my beautiful, beautiful, family!! Stay strong, stay free, stay real...

Love always Your brother/sister Swerv xoxo, MO

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Letters to our Black & Pink family —▼—

Dear good and faithful Family,

What up! It’s your girl, yep your little sister Dede. After getting my hands on that May 2016 issue and seeing it for the first time in months and reading it...not only did it bring a smile to my face and make me dance a little, but I couldn’t help the few tears that escaped my eyes. This newsletter/paper makes me feel so connected and a part of this family. When I read it, the love and feel and see in this community is beyond amazing and is so palpable you can touch it.

I’m so proud to be a part of this family and community!

So thank you and I love you all =]. Now I have a couple of things I would like to respond to: first, my heart goes out to the survivors and victims and of course their families of the tragedy in Orlando that happened to this community (LGBTQIA) and the Latino community as well. I can’t speak for the world, but I can speak for me and this community when I say, Stay strong Orlando, I love you so do my bros and sisters of this family and community (LGBTQ). You are in our hearts and prayers. Love and solidarity Orlando!

Next, to my sister Jackelyn of MI, I want to thank you for the encouragement, support and love you showed me and our sister Jada. Girl, I know it’s hard, by reading your story I could tell you were very frustrated, hurt, and in pain. My advice to you is it’s okay to be strong and to try and tough it out, but truthfully what a lot of people don’t tell you is it’s okay to fall apart too.

Just cry and let the tears fall and this goes for anybody.

It’s okay to cry it out to someone you love or trust to let out all those emotions or if you don’t have anyone do it by yourself and when you’re done (crying) write it down. I love you and I’m proud to call you my sister! =].

Also to Tiffany, Ms. Tiffany in PA congrats on coming to terms with your true self. It’s never too late, I’m proud of you and I love you. Lastly, Jason you aren’t the only one who loves comic books and superheroes. I’m a huge Marvel fan as well. I do like DC (Superman) but that’s all really now Marvel-wise. I love the X-men group-wise, individually I would say would have to be Thor and Wolverine. I just love how they both struggle with their issues and their humanity is so transparent to you that it’s beautiful. I want to give a shout-out to 2 very good and important women Mrs. Gege of Light and Caitlin of hearts on a wire. I would like to welcome my sister Ms. Jackelyn to this family and community.

You are loved and I love you girl.

In loving solidarity Your sister, Dede, PA xoxo P.S. Stay strong Orlando we love you!!

My Dilemma

It seems like the only thing I know in my life is depression, pain, & sadness. More than often I am nothing more than a wisp of air trapped in an emotional hurricane. Easily forgotten, and regularly misunderstood. These are just some of the reasons why I hurt myself. When I put this...urge...off it builds into something that I find difficult to control. So I give into my urges of sorrow, and remedy my dilemma with physical understanding.

Sometimes it’s the only choice I have because “professionals” don’t understand when I try to explain it to them.They want to take my things as a way to punish me for reaching out. So I keep my true feelings to myself while I try to figure out what to do next.

My options are few, so I write this with meaning and I request understanding. My heart, spirit, & hopes are broken. The pain is all too real. This is MY story because this is MY life. Is this the destiny I was born for? Or are things only going to get worse?

A.J. O, California

—▼— Dear Black & Pink Family,

What up peeps? My name’s Maison. I’m currently in the hole, and it’s extremely hot! It’s my fourth time back here. This time’s a tad bit different from the other times I was back here, as I’m on disciplinary for bashing a gay basher who in turn was bashing on a good friend of mine who identifies as a woman. I got a question, which is why do homophobic men hate more on transsexuals than your run of the mill gay and bisexual men? Now I don’t know how it is in other institutions, but here I’ve only had one incident where my sexuality led to being hated on, and that was because I’m a young (23) white male who is bisexual and a white gang didn’t think that was right so I got jumped. But other than than that, I don’t get hated on like I see some of my sisters in struggle do. Is that cause they are more outward with their looks? Anyway thanks for the outlet.

Love truly yours, Maison, VA

Poetry from the heart Don’t Come To Prison After sentencing in court You become the victim The table has turned While engulfed by the system...

Everybody knows it Who comes to prison The Ghost of your past Has now risen...

There’s no escape Look in the mirra Watch your image As it shivers...

All are consigned to death Who are a part of this Attached to a clipboard Are names on a list...

It’s all been said and done No time for regret Your past is chosen The course is set...

In this sort of life You either live or die Or become a punk No matter how hard you try...

If it’s not one thing It’s another Makes you think You’re about to smother!

Review these obstacles As you walk around the track Keep your guard up Watch your back!

A lot of problem are created For a few to survive When the violence is over Only those few are alive...

Here in this cemetery The few are the keepers Keeping you at bay An appointment with the reaper...

They are the crux Foundation Game plan In this situation...

Pay attention To the ripriders And the others Right beside ‘em...

When they go to war It’s with make shift knives The best man wins Who stays alive...

Red rag’s in the house Representing sudden death!

Knock your head off Take your breath...

My best advice is Don’t come to the pen I t’s a crude disposition A no win...

Horace T, CA Look a Little Deeper Please don’t judge me by my case, by my religion, or my race.

Please don’t judge me by what I wear, how I look or my style my hair.

Please look a little deeper, Way down deep inside.

Although you may not see it, I have a lot to hide.

Behind my clothes, The secrets lie.

Behind my smile, I softly cry.

Please look a little deeper, And maybe you will see.

There’s a lonely boy, Who lives inside of me.

Please just get to know him.

He’ll show you that he’s insecure.

Please just be a friend to him. S how him that you care.

Please look a little deeper, And maybe you will see, That if you look deep enough, You will find the real me!

With Love, Jesse AKA Lestat King CA P.S. Submitted as promised for ButterflyB of Texas.

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Boi-Boi I always knew something was wrong Something was missing So I filled my life with friends & found my temp-fix In the end most of them were fake So I filled my life with Money & found my temp-fix No matter how much I had, it wasn’t enough So I filled my life with Drugs & found my temp-fix I kept needing more to numb the same pain So I tried to take my own life & found my temp-fix, Until I woke up. I realized I have No Control!

So I let myself be loved & found that I finally feel whole I always knew something was wrong Something was missing The Missing Piece has Always been You! -xo Snook, PA This is all me This is all me, althouh some things have changed I’m still the same me, so don’t think I’m a stranged.

My heart is still precious, my soul is still gold My time is still worth the love that you’ve known This is all me, so accept me today, for this person I am. F or God made me this way, There’s nothing that’s weird, I’m normal like you.

From Breathing 2 Bleeding, and crying tears 2 This is all me, in a world full of hate so plz don’t have me.

Cuz we all make mistakes Raul B, Texas

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Letters to our Black & Pink family My name is Jeff M. I am a white gay bi/sexual male that has a story to share.I am at Cross Roads Correctional Center. I am in the hole for assault on my cellmate. I’m in the Hole Hu.#1. I had previously filed against my cell mate as he was rubbing my legs at night masturbating while he thought I was asleep. Well- one thing led to another of him arguing about transgender women. It was him hating on people it seemed.

or color we are, we have feelings, and are all equal human to survive, and have the right to be happy and treated right, and we do not have equal and civil rights no matter gay or transgender. this is the first time writing to Black and Pink. I shall close.

Well, while in the hole my blue glasses was taken from my property, but they was sent in by outside inmate eye glasses catalog and approved. I feel I am hated by my being gay. I have never been in no gang or nothing like it. I’ve had a white shirt--guards--call me fag and etc. I got inmate who yell and hate on my being gay, that yells out of their cells calling me faggot, saying I should die, All kinds of names day and night.

I’ve been trying for a month to get my Holy Bible. But they wont give it to me, I’ve wrote time after time to chaplain, case-worker, mental health, central office, and property room where my Bible is at in my locker.

It’s been a month now and still have not got my Bible. If I ask for a grievance I don’t get it, and I hear from some inmates if you file a grievance, the F.U.M. in charge of this HU.#1 will make you do a year in the hole. A month ago that leaked 4 inches of toilet water in my cell and I had to walk through it to get my tray to breakfast. Plus to mention I have H.I.V. I’m in chronic care, I have not caused no problem in the hole, I pray... Plus I smell mace almost every day of people getting sprayed with it, it’s hard for me to breathe. I

—▼—

‘m afraid to mention this stuff to anyone because it could get me hurt by prison staff. But--God is only one to fear. I should be transferred to another prison I hope.

This is unstable housing for gays and transgender inmate. Discrimination, violence, and medical wise of H.I.V. unstable conditions are at risk to catch infections easier. When your civil rights are violated it gets bad like now. I love your Black and Pink newspaper, I read it all the time, it gives me hope.

My lover died of H.I.V. in the prison of Licking, MO. We was cellmates here at Crossroads Correctional Center, But split us up out of our cell together because they hate gay people. They said it was because of needing more room, being overpopulated in P.C. My heart goes out to my lover Bobby Stapleton. I have tears in my eyes so got to wait a minute...its been about 2 years since he passed away. I don’t look for no other, maybe a friend.

So this don’t even begin to describe being gay behind these walls of prison. No matter what gender,

Thank you for listening.

Jeff M. MO

Dear B & P, Well hello my name is Sketch and I am in a PA fed prison right now and I’ve been getting the newspaper for awhile now and I just want to say thanks for all you’ve done well we want to say thank you Jason you’re the best. Well I know with me, I am almost out of here my time is almost done and I plan to help out B&P when I touch down out on the streets cause you all help me out by shooting me a newspaper every month ☺ Well let me tell you a little bit about myself. I am a 35 year old white male and I was born in California. I ran around with gang members and I’ve been gay all my life you know and yea with me being in the feds am the only one in the USP but I still stand strong for any and all family members in need. Well I had loving parents, my dad was my best friends you know & my dad’s wife was cool too but you know I was and am a daddy’s boy. But I lost my dad to cancer. Stage four lung cancer on 3-31-2015. So yea, for those that have lost a loved one whole being in prison know how I feel you know, well yea, it’s hard cause I couldn’t even say good bye to him, you know, hug him and tell him that I love him and what not. Well this letter is really to just vent to some family that I still have left thanks but I did get a letter from my brother Chad telling me that he needs me out there and that’s all I got left out there is my brother Chad and my dad’s wife and you guys and B&P. well am not really even sure if this will be put in the newspaper but I do hope that it will so I can hear what you all have to say about all that is going on with me well am just glad that I sill have all you over at B&P still by my side you know when I need someone to talk & even vent to when ever you know well I just want to say you all keep your head up and stay strong behind these prison walls and never let anyone get you down your brother at hand your one and only GBG love you all and stay strong fam.

I love you all Love, Sketch, Pennsylvania

Letter to our Black & Pink family Dear Black & Pink Family,

Today, I was shown the Black & Pink Newsletter by one of my fellow LGBTQ inmates. All I can say is... Wow. I am at a loss for words. I am so moved by these letters and articles, I felt the need to write to you myself, and explain a little of my experience in Illinois Department of Corrections. Currently, I am being “Housed” at Lawrence Correctional Center. For anyone reading this who doesn’t know, Lawrence isn’t the best joint to be in. It is my first time in prison, and let me just say, it’s no picnic. When I first got down here, I was so scared to be myself that I didn’t act like me. I turned into one of those guys I couldn’t stand. Objectifying women, and just being a jerk. I am 29 years old and have been out since I was 18. So having to go back into the closet when I came here wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to do but I did it. I am ashamed to admit it, but I did. It was probably about 4 months into my bit when I finally realized screw everyone here, I love who I am, and once again I came back out of the closet. I had had enough. I spent 18 years in the closed, I know how to dress, I don’t need any more time in there.

The most amazing thing happened when I finally just decided to be me. I found more respect than I ever thought I would. Some people claimed they already knew, which was possible but I have my doubts.

I consider myself a “masculine” homosexual, but apparently I have my moments.

Which I suppose is true, don’t we all? The only problem I have with Illinois DOC, scratch that, ONE of the problems I have with IDOC is that there are absolutely NO programs for inmates that are LGBTQ. If we don’t have support from our families and loved ones, we are pretty much on our own. It’s hard enough being LGBTQ in the free world, it’s even harder in a world full of testosterone fueled straight men. Where is the support for gay men such as myself. Sure there are other LGBTQ men in the prison system here, but most are not out due to the environment we live in. Which is okay, you do what you have to do to survive behind bars. Only, for those of us who are out, why is there no support and recognition of the LGBTQ community in Illinois’ prison system? I have

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repeatedly tried to gather my fellow LGBTQ inmates up to confront the administration about this problem, but it always seems like we are shrugged off and made to look like we (as the LGBTQ community) do not matter.

It’s 2016 ladies and gentlemen of the Illinois DOC administration, don’t you think it’s about time to accept and recognize that you have LGBTQ inmates in your prison system?

All I really want is a support group. Somewhere we can go to talk to each other about the struggles we go through in prison. Yeah, I can talk to my husband (of 10 years, I might add) but he can never understand the TRUE struggles, like a fellow LGBTQ inmate can. So I ask the question, what’s a gay gotta do to find solace in a place fueled by testosterone driven men? A lot of people assume that what I want is a place to “hook up” or “meet other men to have sex with”, to those people NO NO NO NO NO! I have been, and continue to be, happily married. I just want someplace to discuss the difficulties we (as LGBTQ intakes) face in this hell we call IDOC. I had an instance with a gentleman in the prison about a week ago. I wrote him a kite that simply stated that people were calling him gay behind his back, that if he was it was cool cause I am gay, but just a friendly “you’re being called gay behind your back” type thing. He didn’t even read the whole thing, he assumed I was hitting on him. Again, NO. Jeeze, just because I’m gay doesn’t mean I automatically want you. Things like this cannot be discussed with “straight” inmates, this is where I would like to be able to talk to fellow gay inmates. Could I have handled that different? Should I have just let people talk that way about him? Like I said, this is my first time in prison I didn’t know that something so stupid would warrant a “you’re bogus, I don’t roll like that” response.

I love who I am, and I refuse to let prison change me, but it would be nice to be able to talk about everything with people who also love to be themselves.

On that note, I want to emphasize the amount of gratitude and love I have for the Black and Pink family.

Knowing there are so many people out there that share my struggles, moves me so completely. Keep the letters coming family, you truly changed this gay man’s life.

I love you all.

Love always, Drue C, IL P.S. “Live in the present, remember the past, and fear not the future, for it doesn’t exist and never shall.

There is only now.”

Report back from USP Tucson Pride celebration

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To All of Our Black and Pink Family,

you believe in something, fight for it!

After the horrible act of hate that claimed the lives of 49 or our brothers and sisters in Orlando, Florida, the LGBTQI Two Spirit community here at USP Tucson made history as we came together to celebrate the first ever LGBTQI 2 Spirit History/Pride event in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Dedicated to those we lost and their families, the event began with a moment of silence followed by some LGBT history, a performance by the prison band “Danger to Society”, and a reading by the Diversity Committee.

We made history because my celly, Ian, fought for what he believed in, and we are already making plans for bigger and better things for next year.

Afterward the psychology department gave a brief presentation on Gender Dysphoria, Transgender issues, PREA, and supporting each other. This was followed by presentations from the LGBT 2 Spirit community members. Presentations ranged from poetry, music, spoken word pieces, to personal stories of acceptance and learning to love yourself. the band ‘Danger to Society” performed all original music.

The event kicked off at 1PM and wrapped up around 3:15PM. Around 100 members of the LGBT community here at USP Tucson gathered to celebrate and show their pride in the first ever LGBTQI 2 Spirit History/Pride event ever in Federal BOP history.

My celly, who goes by “Ian”, served as our Master of Ceremonies and it was my celly who fought hard to get this event approved. Trust me, it didn’t just happen. Since February, he has fought to make this historic event happen. the administration made him jump through hoop after hoop, and there were times he shed tears and wanted to give up. His ideas were constantly being denied and it was really hard to see someone try so hard only to get rejected and when he wanted to give up, I asked him “why was this so important to him?” He told me, “Everyone else has their days or months. There’s Black History Month, Native American Heritage Month, the church has December, part of March and April. What do we have?”

He asked his peers and friends what they though and everyone told him, “It’ll never happen, the warden will never okay it.” And after all the rejection, even I began to wonder. Then one day his staff sponsor stopped us on the sidewalk and said, “The warden finally agreed. He approved your event this morning.”

After that, Ian had to arrange a date for the use of the chapel in June, then arrange for a band from the Recreation Department, meet with Psychology to see if they would be willing to present something, and the most important thing, he didn’t take “No” for an answer!

To all of the B&P family, don’t ever give up! If

With love and hope, Mark (Mato Witko Oka) – Arizona

—▼—

This event was born while I was attending a Black History Celebration. My name is Ian and I’m a white guy from Maine...for what reason would I be attending this particular event? It’s simple, I want to be accepted by others, and in order for that to happen, I need to be able to support them. As I was watching these individuals talk about their rich historical past, I kept thinking, there’s not much to be proud of in LGBT history. Then I was filled with doubt. No one would want to hear that. My community is at a disadvantage in prison. Regardless of our own personal history, everyone has expectations for us. Even members of our community seem ignorant to the powerful past we have. And that’s when I knew we needed this event.

We needed this opportunity to set the record straight.

I made a few inquiries and was told there was an LGBT staff liaison I should reach out to. this turned out to be a dead end as they are only available to staff. Afterwards I went to my Unit Manager for advice.

Rather unexpectedly, she offered to be my sponsor.

Apparently you need one of those any time you want to organize an event, so make that your first step. From there I wrote out a rough outline of what I intended to do and submitted it to our Warden.

I didn’t hear back for two months, but I stayed busy during that time. I met with the department heads from areas I wanted to work with. I wanted to hold the event in the chapel because it has the largest seating capacity, so I met with the head chaplain. I wanted a band, so I met with the recreation coordinator, etc. When I approached these people, I made sure to always be polite and respectful, to ASK and not DEMAND their participation. The chaplain was difficult. She was wary of holding the event in the chapel, and I could understand why. After many assurances, she provided me with dates to chose from. Finding a band was hard as well because I agreed to use bands that were already registered with the recreation department. A lot of these members disagreed with the event for personal reasons, and I wasn’t about to force them. Remember that acceptance thing I spoke of at the beginning?

Here I despaired, but eventually the band “Danger to

Society” would come to the rescue. originally they were worried about the harassment they might get from the rest of the compound - you’re playing at a gay event?!

- but in the end, they opted to support us. I can’t thank them enough, and should probably make them all nacho bowls.

I want to restate that I was initially meeting with staff to plant a seed. They all said they needed to hear from my sponsor after the event was approved. By meeting with them early, I had a better understanding of what I could reasonably ask for. It was about two months before the warden finally gave his approval.

During those two months, I tried not to be a pest, checking in with my sponsor only once a week or so.

After the event was approved, the first things I was told was, “Tone it down.” This next part was one of the hardest. So many of my ideas were rejected and it seemed like the LGBT identity was slowly disappearing from the event. Even though I had come this far, I thought about giving up. Luckily for me, my friends and especially my celly were very supportive. I drew up a list of things I did not want to lose and things I was willing to part with. My sponsor was very receptive and offered quite a few ideas that helped to pull the rest of it together. Once we agreed on scheduling, she emailed all the corresponding department to finalize everything.

VERY IMPORTANT!!

Next we needed to figure out how to get the word out. I designed a very rough flier and another staff finalized it on the computer. I wish I could share it with all of you, because it was beautiful. this was uploaded on to the inmate Bulletin Board where it raised quite a scandal. Even after the event had been approved, so many people had thought I was lying until they saw the notice. After all this, it was time to work through the minutia. I wanted inmate performances, and I needed to advertise a deadline and who to give their pieces to for approval. I already knew I would be the Master of Ceremonies, but what would I talk about and how would I manage time? When would we eat the snacks? You would think after approval, everything would get easy, but this is when it gets hardest. You have no control over timed moves and you’ll need to fit everything in.

There will be plenty of snags and problems, and you HAVE to remain calm to find the solutions.

Lastly, I did this without a committee. I delegated a few things (thank you Rich for handling the music! and Mike for the food!), but I headed up all the rest of it. This meant that if anything went wrong or wasn’t well received, it was my fault. Next year I will be organizing a committee because it was simply too much stress.

I want to reiterate that I could not have done this without the love and support of my friends in here.

21 They encouraged me and kept me from giving Page up, and I found that a number of staff were incredibly helpful. I would venture to say that maintaining a record of good behavior contributed to the administration being willing to work with me. My celly, Mark, wants me to make sure everyone knows that he had to put up with all my complaining...and there was plenty of it. He was my rock, and without him to bounce ideas off of, this never would have happened.

I hope that anyone attempting an event meets with as much success as I did. Please remember that no matter how small you start, you can always go bigger next year. Be willing to compromise and never forget to accept others if you want to be accepted yourself.

Also, a final note. The Vocational Training Department made us rainbow colored rice krispie treats and they were the talk of the compound. If you can offer food at your event, the people will come!

With love and good vibes, Ian, Arizona This piece by Matt was read at the event:

Let me introduce myself. My name is Matt. I’m a bi-sexual member of the LBGT community here at USP Tucson. There are a few things that transpire with the brothers and sisters here that I’d like to address.

I’m sorry in advance if I offend some of you.

Just because I’m Bi doesn’t mean that I enjoy the cat calls, Because I don’t. Just because I like certain things doesn’t mean that I want yours, Because I don’t. Just because we are surrounded by miles upon miles of things doesn’t mean that we want yours, Because we don’t. See for years upon years members of the alternative lifestyle group has been targeted for harassment and abuse from the non-members and the general public because they don’t or won’t understand us. We have been beaten, assaulted, raped and even murdered. (RIP Matthew Shepard). Some people think being gay is a choice, some even think they are “born” that way. It is me, being bi is right for Matthew, it is who I am and it is not for everyone. What people don’t know is verbal harassment of someone who is gay, bi, trans is not only demoralizing, its wrong in every since of the word, it is actually a Hate Crime, and in prison (if people want to press it) its a PREA violation.

The reason I’m bringing this up is that all the harassment that I endure is turning me into something that I am not and I don’t like that. Just because I’m bi doesn’t mean that I mess around, because I don’t. As I look around today I am seeing a lot of faces, some I know and some that I don’t, each and everyone of you has a voice and that voice can help stop this harassment.

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In Response to Increased Policing Of Civic Center, Grand Marshals, Awardees Withdraw From Participation in SF Pride Parade

Black Lives Matter, 6/24/2016 San Francisco, CA – In light of the recent announcement that PRIDE participants would be subject to increased policing, metal detectors and discretionary admittance, several Grand Marshals and awardees of the “racial & economic justice” themed event are withdrawing from participation in the Pride Parade or Civic Center activities because of the unsafe conditions created for our communities by law enforcement. In the aftermath of the Orlando shooting that took the lives of dozens of queer people of color, many people in our community are afraid. For us, celebrating Pride this year meant choosing between the threat of homophobic and transphobic vigilante violence and the threat of police violence.

We had a tough decision to make, and ultimately we chose to keep our people safe by not participating in any event that would leave our communities vulnerable to either.

Organizational Grand Marshal Black Lives Matter withdrew their participation,citing the SFPD’s recent track record of racist scandal and killings of people of color, and noting that while first responders can be an incredible resource in crisis, they are too often the cause of harm in queer communities of color. “The Black Lives Matter network is grateful to the people of San Francisco for choosing us, we choose you too,” said Malkia Cyril, a member of Black Lives Matter. “As queer people of color, we are disproportionately targeted by both vigilante and police violence. We know first hand that increasing the police presence at Pride does not increase safety for all people. Militarizing these events increases the potential for harm to our communities and we hope in the future SF Pride will consider community-centered approaches to security at pride events.”

Grand Marshal Janetta Johnson, Executive Director of the TGI Justice Project- an organization by and for trans, intersex and gender non conforming people in prisons, jails and detention centers – announced her decision to withdraw from the parade at a Pride press conference on Friday. “While I am thankful for this honor, and grateful to Pride for bringing our work to the front this year, the decision to add more police to Pride does not make me, or my community, more safe,” Johnson said. The St. James Infirmary, which was slated to receive the Heritage of Pride Award at the Main Stage on Sunday, echoed the concerns of the Grand Marshals. “LGBT sex workers are often victims of violence and exploitation at the hands of police” said Executive Director Stephany Ashley. “The increased police presence at Civic Center, as well as the ban on shopping carts and items typically belonging to marginally housed and homeless people will only make Pride less safe and accessible to our communities. These policies do not reflect the theme of racial & economic justice which we sought to march under proudly.”

The move comes a week after Grand Marshals of the New Orleans Pride Parade, BreakOUT! announced they would not be marching because increased law enforcement made its members- predominantly young trans people of colorfeel unsafe to do so. In addition to a 25% increase in local law enforcement (both in uniform and undercover), Federal law enforcement agencies are also scheduled to be on site at the Civic Center events. “In the Bay Area, and the rest of the country, Black communities experience real fear and terror at the hands of homophobic and racist vigilantes and law enforcement,” said Shanelle Matthews, Director of Communications for the Black Lives Matter network. “We are working every day to find solutions and we know the militarization of largescale events only gives an illusion of safety. We are choosing to do the real work of building safe communities.”