Major! Page #2

Well what we do is that

we work on trying to get rid

of the abuses and the suffering

that transgender women

of color go through

in the prison system.

It started with Alex Lee,

he saw and noticed the abuses

that were going on when

he was going to law school,

and then he started TIP

and then from that it evolved

into this, as things

went on and changed.

I came along pretty early

and just worked with him a lot.

When he left I became

the executive director.

So the exciting thing

for us was,

we were the first Black

transgender ran organization

that was involved

with social justice.

Don't many trans women

once they're released

from prison actually come

into an agency that advocates

for prisoners.

So it's a challenge trying

to get people involved.

But Major is very persistent.

Very nagging.

And every time she see you:

Queen!

We need to talk girl.

I know you just got out,

you're trying to get

your life together,

stuff's going on for you

and all that, but you need

to come back over here,

help read some of these letters,

talk to some people

who are still there.

So prisons are basically

a concentrated torture situation

for a lot of trans women.

I was ridiculed.

I was raped by the inmates

and the officers

who worked the penitentiary.

If other inmates see

the prison

then they feel like

its carte blanche that

they can disrespect us too.

People will pass you around,

people will buy you

and sell you, without

you even knowing it.

I myself, I've never been

to prison, but I've been

in jail a few times.

And once that doors slams,

it's open season,

you know you're a marked person.

They don't want to give you

your hormones if you're

a transgender woman.

They don't want to keep you

away from the people

who want to rape us

because we're easy prey.

So, numerically I think

there are more people

who fall under the umbrella

of gender variant or gender

non-conforming who are actually

sitting in prison

or jail because

their gender presentation,

their gender identity

makes it hard for them

to participate

in legal economy activities.

When you can't get a legal job,

you have to turn to street

economics in order to survive.

You still have to survive.

We have to be housed and fed

and clothed.

I think there's this

huge myth

and rapists, and people

to be scared of" and it's

our brothers, our sisters,

our aunties

and it's everyone in between.

If rehabilitation or ability

to succeed in this world

is really your goal,

then our people could be

much better taken care of

in differ

The number of people

incarcerated in the U.S.

has increased 500%

in the past 30 years.

And so people are being

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