Keri Blakinger: Why We Didn't Celebrate Gay Pride Month in Women's Prison
Date:  06-14-2022

Research shows that 1 in 3 women in prison identify as lesbian or bisexual
From NBC News:

When I was in prison, we relished things we could celebrate. There were the obvious ones — like releases and legal victories. And the traditional ones — like New Year’s Eve and Fourth of July. We also celebrated Labor Day and birthdays and the Super Bowl and holidays for religions we didn’t even believe in.

But we did not so much as acknowledge Gay Pride Month.

Queerness, like a lot of things behind bars, carried extra risks.

The presence of homophobia in men’s prisons is a known problem. But in the women’s lockups, it was completely different. In fact, women’s prison was the queerest place I’ve ever been — we just didn’t celebrate it. That’s because queerness, like a lot of things behind bars, carried extra risks. Continue reading >>>