For more information check out Street Wise and Safe’s – Say No to S-Comm Campaign

Send an email to the LGBT Liaison to the White House, Gautam Raghaven, and tell him that queers say no to the expansion of S-Comm and that programs like these put our communities in great danger.

Immediate Release
May 11, 2012
Contact:
Brandon Lacy Campos – brandon@q4ej.org
Jason Lydon – blackandpink99@gmail.com

Queers for Economic Justice With Black and Pink Announce Partnership

(New York City and Boston, MA) Queers for Economic Justice, together with Black and Pink, are pleased to announce a budding partnership. In the wake of CeCe McDonald’s prosecution and plea agreement, the connections between mass incarceration, LGBTQ communities of color, and economic disparities cannot be ignored. While CeCe is an outstanding individual, the circumstance of her arrest and prosecution are part of a systemic attack on LGBTQ peo ple, people of color, and poor people. Among the tragedies of CeCe’s case is that it is but one of hundreds of thousands each year. 95% of all criminal convictions come from plea agreements, like CeCe’s. This reality is one of many points in the criminal punishment system that leads to the warehousing of Black and Brown people behind concrete and steel. It is in the fight to end this system of violence that Queers for Economic Justice is welcoming Black and Pink as a fiscally sponsored organization.

Black and Pink’s statement of purpose describes them as, “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 and Pink was started by a formerly incarcerated white queer man who began with the intention of simply staying in touch with the people he was locked up with. It has since grown to reach 1,300 LGBTQ prisoners across the United States each month with a prisoner written newsletter. The programming of Black and Pink is continuously transforming as requests come in and resources become available. This partnership with Queers for Economic Justice will strengthen Black and Pink’s capacity. This partnership will bring power and possibilities to both organizations and their missions.

“It is thrilling to think of the potential this new relationship can give to both organizations,” Rev. Jason Lydon, founder of Black and Pink, said. “QEJ’s commitment to eliminating poverty and highlighting the voices of LGBTQ poor folks is directly parallel to the work we do at Black and Pink,” he continued. “As the United States penal system thrives on the targeting of poor communities, we are delighted to partner with Black and Pink,” stated Brandon Lacy Campos, Co-Executive Director of QEJ. There are 2.4 million people in United States prisons/jails, 5 million more on probation and parole; LGBTQ and HIV+ people are disproportionately impacted by criminalization, convictions, and incarceration. This partnership between Black and Pink and Queers for Economic Justice will lay the groundwork for more LGBTQ prisoner organizing, stronger advocacy toward abolition, expanded community education, and transformative direct service.

Queers for Economic Justice is a progressive non-profit organization committed to promoting economic justice in a context of sexual and gender liberation.
Our goal is to challenge and change the systems that create poverty and economic injustice in our communities, and to promote an economic system that embraces sexual and gender diversity.
We are committed to the principle that access to social and economic resources is a fundamental right, and we work to create social and economic equity through grassroots organizing, public education, advocacy and research.
We do this work because although poor queers have always been a part of both the gay rights and economic justice movements, they have been, and continue to be, largely invisible in both movements.
This work will always be informed by the lived experiences and expressed needs of queer people in poverty.

Black and 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.

“I have taken back my author rights
to Stone Butch Blues.

I am working on plans for a
20th-anniversary author edition
of Stone Butch Blues
for Spring 2013

A digital multi-media edition will be
available free online.

A not-for-profit, at-cost print edition
will be available for order online,
as well.

During our visit in jail,
I asked CeCe McDonald
if I could dedicate
Stone Butch Blues to her.

I’m thrilled to announce:
She said “Yes!”

When I saw this attached photo
for the first time, it was clear to me,
that this is the dedication photograph!!

More information on
novel publication as it develops.

Soon, I’ll also post information
regarding translations.

FREE
CECE!

Click here to read the first article!

“It felt rejuvenating to take some time to do some artwork.  It was nice doing this with people who I have typically been in more intense organizing situations with.  Also felt nourishing to be making the connection with people inside.” - Z from Madison, WI

“We had a good conversation with a pre-teen about why we were doing something nice for people in jail. and some of us had a chance to experience a non-couplist, non-romantic expression of valentine’s day.” -Rev. Miller from Boyds, MD

“Fit in well with our typical monthly letter-writing parties to connect penpals with folks in immigrant detention– we’re always trying to make the links between the pic and the detention system.” - Caroline from Phoenix, AZ

“It was really great being crafty for a purpose, working to be subversive of things that are meant to tear us apart and take us down by creating something beautiful.” - Jennifer from Chicago, IL

Like with anything we do, there were downfalls too.  A number of cards were denied to individuals because they were made from construction paper – apparently some prisons find construction paper to be really dangerous to the security of the institution (oh how I wish).  A few of the addresses we gave out did not match the prisoner or the inmate identification number, on a plus side some of them were sent back because the person had been released!

There was also at least one individual who wrote back some harassing and threatening letters.  This is very sad for all of us.  Just as rape culture permeates outside the prison walls, it also exists on the inside.  Black and Pink is committed to challenging behavior of individuals who are threatening or harassing.  We are open to your creative abolitionist suggestions on how to address sexually inappropriate and harassing letters.  Please do email suggestions to blackandpink99@gmail.com.  It was also suggested that we may want to honor a different holiday as Valentine’s can be confusing for some people, especially those who are seeking romantic relationships with people on the outside.  We certainly don’t want to send mixed messages to folks.

Many thanks, again, to all those who put events on.  We intend to coordinate another multi-city card making event this summer and look forward to having even more folks connected!

Check out some pictures of the events!

See flyer below

This Valentine’s Day we are gonna spread the tradition of sending love to people inside. Prisoner support and advocacy organizations have had similar events in the past and in 2012 we want to open up the opportunity for people around the country to send love to folks locked up. We want them to feel the love of the community and know that they are not forgotten.

Attend a party near you! Come join the fun!
Card-making parties are happening around the country in
- Jamaica Plain, MA (February 2nd; 7-10pm; Spontaneous Celebrations; Facebook)
- Brooklyn, NY (February 4th; 1-5pm; Ditmas Park Neighborhood; email lizafton at gmail.com for details)
- Binghamton, NY (February 5th; 2pm; Binghamton Congregation of MCCNY; Facebook)
- Boyds, MD (February 8th; 7pm; Open Door MCC, 15817 Barnesville Road)
- Washington, DC (February 8th; 7pm; Space Jam, 1313 Delafield Pl. NW; Facebook)
- Chicago, IL (February 3rd, 6:30-9:30pm; Mess Hall, 6932 N. Glenwood Ave.; Mess Hall is wheel chair accessible; Facebook)
- New Orleans, LA (February 5th; 5-9pm; Write hannahpc at gmail.com for details)
- Chattanooga, TN (February 4th; 7pm; Contact: 4chickensandacat at riseup.net for details)
- Phoenix, AZ (February 5th; Write phxrestorationproject at gmail.com for detail)
- Madison, WI (February 6th; 6:30-8:30pm; 417 Rodgers Apt. B, 53703)
- Ann Arbor, MI (January 28th; 6:30pm; http://www.facebook.com/events/176679229105933/)
- Seattle, WA (Febuary 5th)
- San Francisco, CA ( February 9th; 6 – 9PM; Mission SRO Collaborative, 938 Valencia Street; Facebook)

Click the interactive map below to see them all!

Host a party!
No parties scheduled in your city? Host your own! Here’s how we can help:
- We’ll send you a list of names and addresses of people inside. You can choose to send Valentine’s Day cards to a group of prisoners that is most relevant to you, whether that’s political prisoners, women inside, trans and queer prisoners, people incarcerated within your particular state, or anyone else who is locked up in and in need of some love from the outside. Tell us how many people you can commit to sending cards to and we’ll send you a list.
- If you want to make your party open to other folks in your area you can send us the date, time, and location and we’ll help you publicize it on blackandpink.org and in email announcements sent out to folks around the country.
- Send you a list of restrictions on what can and cannot be sent inside. Not Allowed: glitter, glue, staples, tape, (anything with adhesive), polaroids. Allowed: construction paper, printer paper

What do you need to do?
- Email blackandpink99@gmail.com and let us know what you’re planning
- Gather card-making supplies. We also have a PDF of 8 printable queer/trans prisoner-drawn cards we can email you!
- Gather your friends/people in your community
- Cover the cost of mailing the cards
- Mail cards by February 9th to make sure they arrive in time for Valentine’s Day

It began with the statement in a Bay Windows FAQ article by GLAD: “It also adds protections based on gender identity to Massachusetts’ hate crimes law. That means that people convicted of anti-transgender hate crimes will face added criminal penalties and increased fines.”

Reed Miller of Black and Pink wrote a critique of that statement:
Dear Editor,

This week’s edition ofBay Windows includes anFAQ on the Trans Equal Rights Bill from GLAD.

Discussing the inclusion of gender identity to the hate crimes law, it states, “that means that people convicted of anti-transgender hate crimes will face added criminal penalties and increased fines.” While correct, this is not the complete truth.

Supporters of hate crimes legislation often omit the reality that a whole class is protected — not just the oppressed people. That means that trans people can also face added criminal penalties and fines for “anti-cisgender hate crimes.” For example, self-defense situations may get construed as such. Statistics show increasing “anti-white” people “hate crimes.”

I am a transman, and I volunteer for Black and Pink, an LGBTQ prisoner support organization based in Boston. We did not support the bill due to its inclusion of hate crimes legislation, for the above reason and many others. That was a challenging thing to do because of the many positive aspects of the bill. A coalition of organizations including Sylvia Rivera Law Project, FIERCE, and Queers for Economic Justice put out a similar statement with regards to NY’s GENDA a few years ago.

We hope that the inclusion of gender identity in the hate crimes statute can be reversed, and that our community can realize that the police and courts and prisons are not our protectors — they never have been. We need to revisit our history and come together for real, community-based solutions to transphobia.

Sincerely,
Travis Reed Miller

Don Gorton offered a weak rebuttal of Reed’s letter, which will of course be challenged!  We’ll post it here for you.

To the editor:

Criticizing hate crimes laws that include gender identity bias in a letterappearing in the December 8, 2011 edition of Bay Windows, Reed Miller portrays the criminal penalties in the recently-passed Trans Equal Rights Law as a double-edged sword. He says advocates concealed the “reality” that Trans people can be prosecuted for hate crimes against cisgender people under the new statute.

Has anyone ever heard of a Trans person attacking a cisgender individual while shouting epithets indicative of bias against conventional gender expression? Has a Trans person ever has been prosecuted for “anti-cisgender” violence under inclusive hate crimes laws? Unless those two questions can be answered in the affirmative, the very suggestion that Trans people face legal jeopardy from the anti-hate crimes provisions of the Trans Equal Rights Bill is absurd.

Mr. Miller argues for “real, community-based solutions to transphobia” as an alternative to hate crimes laws. It is telling that he offers no specifics on what tactics (apart from vigilantism) could put a stop to crimes that are raging out-of-control, according to research data. While non-enforcement-related responses to anti-trans violence are an essential part of an overall protection strategy, the notion that such crimes can be stopped without the deterrent effect of criminal sanctions lacks credibility.

Don Gorton
Chairperson, The Anti-Violence Project of Massachusetts