Toolkit: The Rights of Trans People Who are Incarcerated

Being locked up is dehumanizing for anyone. Going to jail means being stripped naked, getting your belongings confiscated, being forced into close quarters with strangers, and suffering escalating indignities. But for transgender, gender nonconforming, nonbinary, and intersex people, it is especially likely to result in harassment, degradation, and violence. This is especially true for Black people, Indigenous people, and other people of color.

Across the state, we need gender-affirming policies in jails, prisons, and lock-ups. The following is a guide for advocates to push local and state leaders to better protect transgender, gender nonconforming, nonbinary, and intersex people who are incarcerated.