Survivor Stories

I constantly deal with sexual harassment in prison. As a transgender man, I am an easy target — an easy victim to prey upon and abuse.

I’ve been bullied, starved, physically assaulted, and placed in prolonged solitary confinement for five and a half years. I’ve been forced to wear panties instead of boxers, denied razors to shave facial hair, denied gender-related hygiene, and forced to endure demeaning sexual comments about my body. I am verbally assaulted everyday with invectives belittling my character, identity, and sexuality. I’ve been dehumanized mentally and emotionally.

The correctional officers are cruel, evil, and non-empathetic.

I’ve been forced to undergo strip searches that lower my self-esteem and cell searches that leave my personal property destroyed and trashed. Officers have refused to feed me, saying that I’ll start acting like a girl if I get hungry enough.

These traumatic experiences have left me broken mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. I suffer from severe anxiety and depression. I’m still healing from the abuse I’ve suffered at the hands of correctional officers, but it has been difficult not having support outside in the free world to help me.

I’ve learned that there is more evil from the staff in prisons than the inmates. Sexual abuse in here is real — and they’re the ones doing it.