Transgender Journey
Criminal-legal systems harm the health and wellbeing of incarcerated people. These harms are multiplied when it concerns transgender people, especially transgender women of color. The book, “Didn’t nobody give a shit what happened to Carlotta” illustrates the intersecting forms of oppression experienced by Carlotta, a formerly incarcerated transgender Black and Latina woman.
Before and after Carlotta was incarcerated, she was treated horribly because of her gender identity. While trapped in a men’s prison, she faced sexual and physical abuse from her fellow inmates. To make this worse, she was forced into protective custody (i.e., solitary confinement) which she experienced as a punishment, not safety. While in solitary, a correctional officer repeatedly raped her. Though everyone, including other officers knew about these assaults, they turned a blind eye, leaving her defenseless in this “protective” place.
Carlotta’s problems didn’t end in prison. She had undergone gender transition while incarcerated. When she arrived home, her family was less than accepting. Only her niece, grandmother, and her mother’s nurse greeted her. Other family members either ignored her, tiptoed around addressing her gender, or misgendered her (using her dead name and he/him pronouns), showing their clear disdain right to her face.
When Carlotta tried to reconnect with her young adult son, Ibe, he was angry. To him, Carlotta’s return wasn’t a time of parental reconnection. Instead, he mourned the death of his father while struggling to coming to terms with his new mother. Despite this, Carlotta tried to connect with her son and convey her authentic self and identity to him. Unfortunately, her attempts to communicate with Ibe usually ended with screaming and shouting, as neither of them had the ability to communicate effectively. Ultimately, the closest Ibe got to acceptance was his Christian belief that he can “save her from her sin.” Though it was hard for her to accept this form of “love,” Carlotta accepted it because she believed this was the only way she could connect with her son.
Being a transgender woman presents opportunity and challenges. When friends and family do not accept one’s identity, the real self that has been here all along, this can be very difficult. In Carlotta’s case, her family’s lack of acceptance was debilitating and isolating. The lives of incarcerated transgender people are underrepresented in research about incarceration. As a researcher for the SHAWN project, I think it is important to understand the plights, struggles, and strengths of the people we interview. These narratives can inform social work efforts to protect incarcerated people from the dangers of the criminal-legal system and help them reconnect with family and community upon release.
