Queering Antiprison Work
Beth Richie argues that queering the antiprison project aims at sensitizing the people that deviance and criminalization are social constructs aimed at serving people in power. In a much simple sense, Richie notes that because prisons need prisoners, criminals are produced. It is important to note that although the black lesbian youth has been neglected in the anti-prison work, they are the most victimized. In comparison to the white counterparts, these individuals are more likely to receive harsher sentencing and also facing sexual violence and harassment. Moreover, the author also paints that these individuals have a lower probability of receiving treatment for cases of drug abuse. The maltreatment of the black lesbian has been down to the socially instigated problems such as poverty and racism. Therefore, the issues faced by the African American lesbians call for a queer antiprison project. The first strategy would be to identify the ways in which race, sexuality, class, and gender interact with aggressive law enforcement and the harsh penal policy (Richie, 2005).
There is an increasing need to incorporate the young black lesbians in the discourse about the antiprison policies. The queering that the author discusses primarily focuses on how sexuality and gender can overcome the societal powers created through race and class. However, the only problem is that the antiprison sentiments have neglected this critical issue and instead decided to focus on issues such as prison maltreatment and capital punishment. Although these are critically important factors, there is a need to look into the welfare of American America lesbians who have systematically suffered due to racism and classism. Black feminists are now focused on utilizing the project as a means of emancipating their counterparts from all the problems that come with incarceration. The feminist groups also aim at revamping the masculine criminal justice system and seal all the loopholes that have recently led to the overcriminalization of members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities (LGBT).
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Identities under Siege
The article by Lori Safin has illuminated the violence that has been directed against people with dual identities. Statistical evidence coupled with news reports have all shown that transpersons are an endangered people within the community setting. The violence has been scattered across the social spectrum given that the transgender does not occupy a homogenous category. They have spread across various social constructs including class, nationality, and race. Persons of color have particularly experienced the most significant problems with violence due to a combination of racism, transphobia, and classism. Moreover, these people have limited support whenever they face incidences of violence. First, they are rejected from the communities of gay and lesbian and the realities that come with the institution of racism.
Other than physical violence, transgender people receive an immense amount of hate directed their way. The author notes that the hate primarily aims at reminding them to go back to their original state. Transphobic sentiments are meant to frustrate these individuals and most fundamentally, put a stop to this concept they refer to as the transgender deviance. Physical violence has also been experienced in the United States with some incidences leading to death as seen in the case of the Jessica, a 24-year-old Latina transgender (Saffin, 2011). Queer activism groups have also gone quiet in the wake of the violence directed against the transgender. The sad part of the entire story is the victims of these transgender instigated violence are poor. They suffer from a plethora of social issues including dropping out of school, homelessness, unemployment, and gender non-conformity. As such, these individuals engage in unconventional businesses such as prostitution in a bid to raise funds. However, in the process, they increase their vulnerability to violence.
References
Richie, B. (2005). Queering antiprison work. Global Lockdown: Race, gender, and the prison-industrial complex , 73-86.
Saffin, L. A. (2011). Identities under siege: Violence against transpersons of color. Captive Genders: Trans embodiment and the prison industrial complex , 141-162.
