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Truthout is a vital news source and a living history of political struggle. If you think our work is valuable, Today is International Trans Day of Visibility, a day to celebrate the resilience and accomplishments of transgender people worldwide.
The extraordinary accomplishments — in, and beyond — of incarcerated trans people tend to receive far too little celebration. Yet many trans people in prison keep fighting for their communities, in environments where they often faceEven positive and inclusive public representations of trans people can heighten vulnerability for those outside of prison, especially for trans women of color — a dynamic Tourmaline, Eric Stanley, and contributors explored nearly a decade ago in And many of the representations currently in the media are far from positive or inclusive. President Donald Trump and others have put incarcerated trans people in the crosshairs. Trump’s campaign notoriously spenton attack ads against trans people, and many of those ads specifically focused on incarcerated trans people. And attacks have been unrelenting since.Dee Deidre Farmer, executive director of Fight4Justice Project, explained, “It has emboldened those who have negative thoughts or negative feelings to be more outward with them. And so what we’re finding now is trans people in prison are subject more to segregation, more retaliatory disciplinary actions, certainly more sexual abuse.” Nell Gaither, president of the Trans Pride Initiative, agreed. She observed that the “increase in both the frequency and the level of vitriol of anti-trans attack ads — not just in the last presidential race, but here in Texas in the recent primaries” gave “staff and other incarcerated persons implicit permission to misgender, mistreat, and disregard the safety of trans persons, if not actively foster violence.” Beyond that, she adds, it has “stoked fear and uncertainty about losing the precious few appropriate acknowledgments of gender that exist in the Texas prison system,” such as hormones or permission to grow hair long or cut it short. Given these attacks and the exclusion of trans voices, it isn’t surprising that many trans people have reassessed how visible or vocal to be. Afound that from November 2024 to June 2025, 55 percent of trans people had taken steps to be less visible as an LGBTQ+ person — and 31 percent had taken steps to be more visible, while 42 percent had started doing LGBTQ+ advocacy or activism. But I wanted to learn how that translated inside prisons, so I asked a few incarcerated trans people in Florida and Pennsylvania about their experiences. Rayne Vylette says she hasn’t made herself any more or less visible. “I am who I am,” she wrote. “I will be no one else.” Nor has her advocacy flagged — if anything, she has been busier than before. But she thinks it’s more difficult for those who were not visible already — she’s noticed that people seem more reluctant to come out for the first time. Like Rayne, Jolissa Alvarado has also continued to advocate on trans issues from inside. But given the climate, she emphasizes the need to be smart and selective about what we take on to “start stacking some wins under our belts.” She clarifies, “Not saying don’t fight or aim high. Just be careful.” After all, the “administration is looking for every reason to take all of our rights from us.” Ary, an incarcerated gender justice activist who asked to be identified only by her nickname, has stopped taking hormones. While she benefitted from hormone treatment in the past, she had already been thinking she might not need it anymore. Given the increased threats to trans health care, she decided to end her treatment after Trump got elected. “I gave it up on my own terms,” she explains, rather than waiting for it to be taken away. She has also started training in martial arts. “Due to people feeling like it is okay to oppress trans people, I have decided to create more of a deterrent.” Ary assures me, though, that trans people were just as out in her facility as they were before. “The people in here have still been who they want to be and are still out there. They are even being more outspoken to a certain point, because the jail tries to mess with them, but they still be them.” Jacinda Lee Allenbaugh is one of the trans people inside who has chosen to be more outspoken, saying: “I personally am more vocal about my being trans. I wear makeup more, and I hang my small LGBTQ flags loud and proud.” She sees liberation in the future, because “we exist, and are not about to disappear.” When I asked Farmer for her thoughts on visibility for trans people on the inside, she immediately thought of the strength and courage it takes to be visible as a trans person and to advocate for trans rights. “Because when you are trans and you’re visible as a trans person on the inside, you’re automatically a target by the correctional staff for harassment, for misgendering, for different types of abuses including unnecessary searches and strip searches. And then you’re also targeted by the inmates.” Gaither, who corresponds with trans people inside who make a variety of choices about disclosure, safety, and self-expression, says, “I guess I find visibility/invisibility a poor way to describe personal and community agency and the exercise of one’s right to exist and exist honestly and openly without fear of abuse for simply being oneself.” Perhaps that partly explains why, of the groups I heard from for this article, only one had plans for Trans Day of Visibility, and several expressed skepticism about how useful the day is. Gaither commented that the day has devolved into tokenization, “meant to keep us ‘seen but not heard’ in advocacy spheres.”that only 30 percent of news stories on Trump’s anti-trans attacks in the first 100 days of his second presidency quoted a single transgender person. Farmer commented that trans people on the inside are “really feeling so misunderstood because what’s being perpetrated in the media is so far removed from the truth.” But of course trans people inside and their allies on the outside are still fighting hard for the agency, safety, and freedom of trans people. “Trans people in prison are experts on organizing under conditions of extreme censorship, surveillance, and repression,” says Pooja Gehi, co-founder of the Alyssa Rodriguez Center for Gender Justice . “That’s why we’re bringing training and analysis from incarcerated trans femmes to folks on the outside, so we can all skill up, take care of each other, and make change more effectively.” ARC is also one of the organizations fighting against Trump’s agenda to roll back rights for trans people in prison. “The Prison Rape Elimination Act includes some basic protections for trans people in prison to reduce sexual violence.” Gehi explained. “And it’s already on the chopping block. We’re organizing people to protect it.”and deadly changes at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, which do not even comply with the existing Prison Rape Elimination Act rules — leaving many trans, intersex, disabled, and religious people without access to recreation or showers.Fight4JusticeProject has been “trying to get as many trans people as possible out on compassionate release, as well as to keep trans people from going into prison, seeking alternatives to incarceration,” said Farmer. She has also been helping trans people in federal prison find ways to hold prison officials accountable for sexual violence. And the Trans Pride Initiative keeps supporting trans and queer people in prison, especially in Texas, while documenting violence in the system and advocating for change toward prison abolition. When I asked Farmer what people should do who want to be in solidarity with trans people in prison on this Trans Day of Visibility, she recommended reaching out to organizations helping trans people inside and finding out how to support their work. But in addition, she highlighted how crucial it is to reach out to individual trans people inside, who may be isolated or experiencing mental health crisis, “even if it’s no more than sending a card to say we’re thinking of you.” Allenbaugh and Ary agree. Allenbaugh said, “Reach out to us in solidarity. Because we need all the support we can get. Raise hell for us and with us in peaceful protests. Link up with trans organizations to support us.” Ary said, “People on the outside need to reach out to those on the inside who are trying to get things done to collaborate on projects. Like, I have good plans, but I need outside forces to call the jail, email them and put pressure.” And what do trans people inside think of Trans Day of Visibility? I learned that many haven’t heard of it. When I asked Farmer about that, she attributed it to the deep disconnect between trans people in prison and the larger community outside. But she also said she thought itbe meaningful — certainly, it would mean a lot to trans people inside if they knew there were organizations and people on the outside fighting for them. At least a few trans women inside now plan to make this Trans Day of Visibility count. Allenbaugh said, “Personally, I am educating people on trans issues, and also bringing out my big … trans flag.” Vylette said, “Now that I’m aware of the day, I’ll certainly honor it.” She quickly brainstormed a few ways. “I’ll write a piece to honor those who are out of sight and out of mind, but need support just like everyone does. I’ll wear my makeup a little louder and send a photo out…. We have options.”As Trump cracks down on political speech, independent media is increasingly necessary. Truthout produces reporting you won’t see in the mainstream: journalism from the frontlines of global conflict, interviews with grassroots movement leaders, high-quality legal analysis and more. Our work is possible thanks to reader support. Help Truthout catalyze change and social justice — make a tax-deductible monthly or one-time donation today.Gabriel Arkles is an attorney and writer based in Brooklyn, New York. His work has also appeared in publications such as
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