Right now, we know of at least 13 Trans women imprisoned in the men’s division at Cook County Jail. Trans women, especially Black Trans women, face extreme risks of violence from cisgender men. Cook County Jail provides only one option when Trans women file harassment complaints: solitary confinement. Placing people in solitary denies Trans people the very few privileges provided to inmates -- removing their ability to make phone calls, have visitors, or interact with almost anyone outside of jail staff.

Beyond what happens once folks are inside, Trans women are disproportionately more likely to be incarcerated than other folks due to systemic causes. Trans women face extreme amounts of employment discrimination, leaving very few job options outside the informal economy. Understanding that system views informal workers as a direct threat to capitalism, Trans women are incarcerated at alarming rates. Nearly one in six Transgender Americans — and one in two Black Transgender people — has been to prison.

We can no longer sit by while our Trans siblings are being harassed, threatened, and denied their basic life-affirming rights. We are mobilizing Trans folks across the city and county to uplift the voices of those recently released and those currently incarcerated. We have teamed up with other Trans-led organizations in Chicago to provide resources to Trans folks being harmed by the carceral system as well as providing a platform for them to demand much-needed change.