Transgender, Gender Nonconforming, Intersex, and Nonbinary (TGNCINB) people are some of the most vulnerable populations in jails and prisons and face even more obstacles in an already traumatic environment, like harassment from corrections officers and other incarcerated people. There are some housing options available to help TGNCINB individuals feel safer in prisons and jails but few people know these options and fewer know their legal rights around gender affirming treatment.
The Bronx Defenders’ LGBTQ Defense Project and the Prisoners’ Rights Project at the Legal Aid Society teamed up with designers Chloe Chang and D Wang Shi Zhao, and CUP to create Your Truth Your Rights, a booklet to explain TGNCINB folks’ rights to safe housing in New York City jails and New York State prisons. It also highlights other rights that TGNCINB individuals have to feel affirmed in their gender identity and what to do if your rights are violated.
The guide will be distributed throughout New York City by public defenders. It will also be used in trainings for other attorneys and to other community-based organizations that support TGNCINB people.