Big news on the Dept. of Corrections Campaign!

On February 20, 2009 we received notice from Attorney General Peter Nickles that the DC Department of Corrections had issued a policy on Gender Classification and Housing (click here to read the policy). DCTC members sprung into action, creating a line-by-line analysis of the differences between our demands and the final document, and writing a letter to all members of the DC City Council with our perspective on the new policy.

The good news is that it’s one of the most progressive corrections policies in the country. DCTC member and Just Detentions International policy associate Darby Hickey sums it up very well in this MetroWeekly article about the news. 

The bad news is that the bar for good Corrections policy on gender and housing is pretty low, and this policy is a far cry from our initial list of demands. An excellent overview of the policy and our cause for pause is in this article in the CityPaper.

Nonetheless, it is a good start. And as Darby concludes in in the MetroWeekly article, we will need to focus on making sure what gains are made on paper are made in practice.

Stay tuned for our upcoming Community Forum — all about the new policy, the MPD policy, and putting paper into practice!

Old news articles about the campaign: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Come to our Community Forum Sun Mar 29th

(español abajo)
Come join us for food as we talk about what’s been going on with the new DC jail and police policies that will affect trans people in the District. Learn about the changes, know your rights, and join in a discussion about our victories, ideas for the future, and how we can continue to fight discrimination!

We hope to see you at the meeting if you are: transgender, transsexual, intersex, gender variant, gender queer, cross dresser, bisexual, lesbian, gay, butch, femme, androgynous or an ally.  If you need help getting to the forum, or have any questions, please contact Sadie at 202-557-1951 or send us an email at dctranscoalition@gmail.com. We will have reimbursement if you need Metro fare. English-to-Spanish translation will be available.

Sunday March 29, 2009 at 2 pm
Metropolitan Community Church
474 Ridge St NW, Washington DC
(2 blocks from the Convention Center Metro station on the green/yellow line.)
And please spread the word and bring your friends!

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Encuentro por la Comunidad Trans
Venga para compartir comida con nosotr@s y para discutir las políticas nuevas en la policía y la prisión que se afectarán la gente trans en DC. Aprenderá sobre los cambios en sus derechos, nuestras victorias y los planes por el futuro, y díganos como podemos continuar la lucha contra discriminación!

Ojalá que Ud puede venir si Ud es: transgénero, transexual, intersexual, de género variante, andrógin@, queer, bisexual, gay, lesbiana o un@ amig@ a la comunidad trans. Si tiene preguntas o si necesita ayuda financiera para el transporte o direcciones al encuentro, puede llamar a Sadie a 202-557-1951 o enviarnos una email a dctranscoalition@gmail.com. Estará traducción de inglés a español disponible.

Domingo el 29 de Marzo a 2 pm
Metropolitan Community Church (La Iglesia Metropolitana)

474 Ridge St NW, Washington DC
(cerca del Convention Center estación de metro en la línea verde/amarillo)

Y por favor, ¡díga tod@s sus amig@s!

Screening of Documentary on Trans Women in Prison

“Cruel and Unusual”  Film Screening

December 15th 6:30pm – 9:00pm @ Metropolitan Community Church
474 Ridge Street N.W. (near Shaw/Howard metro and 70/71 bus lines)

DC Critical Resistance will be showing the documentary, Cruel and Unusual. This film follows the lives of 5 trans women in prison and the everyday physical and mental abuses caused by inmates and guards. Before the film, we will have a short presentation about how police and policing are impacting the lives of low income people of color and specifically gender minorities in DC. After the film, we will rally everyone to get ready for the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers March. We will have speakers from HIPS, Prisoner Correspondence Project, DCTC and members of Safe and Diverse DC. We will provide hot food and beverages. Please contact dc.criticalresistance@gmail.com or 202-569-1807 for help with rides and childcare.

Join DCTC and SRLP for Community Meeting on Prison Issues

Join members of DCTC and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project for two great events coming up on Thursday.

At 12:15 – 1:30 pm, there will be a lunchtime panel at Georgetown University Law on Trans Law, Policy & Activism. Please contact us for more information if you’re interested.

In the evening, the Prisoner Correspondence Project, Sylvia Rivera Law Project, and the DC Trans Coalition invite you to join us for a meeting about confronting violence and incarceration…

Thurs. Oct. 16th, 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Foundry Methodist Church, Room B2
1500 16th St NW, Washington DC

Snacks will be served! Some money will be available to help cover transportation costs if needed!

Join us for a night of networking and strategy discussions. We’ll dialogue with a panel of representatives from local and regional organizations to learn from each other’s work providing accessible healthcare, legal and other services to the trans community, and how these community-led efforts are planting the seeds of a world free of violence by providing concrete alternatives here and now.

Participating organizations include:
*Sylvia Rivera Law Project (NYC)
*Prisoner Correspondence Project
*DC Trans Coalition
*Different Avenues
*Critical Resistance D.C.
*And possibly more!

Then, let’s brainstorm ways to work together toward our shared goals of social, economic, sexual, racial and gender justice. How can we actively support folks who are in or just getting out of prison? How can we respond to poverty and violence in ways that don’t rely on policing or prison and that challenge racism, classism, sexism, ageism
and other kinds of oppression? Centering the experiences of those who are most directly affected by State and interpersonal violence, what might a world with safer communities and without prisons look like, where we could express gender without fear, discrimination, harassment or imprisonment?

For Questions or to RSVP: dc.queer.trans.prisoner.support@gmail.com or 202-917-0446

*By Public Transportation: Exit Red Line Dupont Circle station, go east on P St until the corner of 16th St. The meeting is in the basement with an accessible entrance.

******Please forward widely!******

Take Action to Defeat OHR’s Attack on Our Rights

When we first learned about the Office of Human Right’s proposed attack on our rights under the Human Rights Code, we sent an action alert right away with some action steps. NOW, we’re asking you to take an important action to make sure all f your voices are heard and we fight back this attempt to roll back the protections we’ve won in DC.

Take action! SIGN the petition by clicking the link below, and SEND it to all of your friends!

http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=1005480

It’s critical that we get your testimony and stories in this petition. The ONLY comments the Office of Human Rights will accept are ones that are printed and mailed or delivered to them. The DC Trans Coalition will print your responses to the petition and make sure the Office of Human Rights gets a copy before their deadline, Friday, August 8th.

Sign the petition today, even if you’ve sent an email to the Office of Human Rights already:

http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=1005480

If you want to take even more action, come to the next DC Trans Coalition meeting this Tuesday, July 29th from 7:20-9pm to find out how you can get involved.

Together, we can defeat this attack on our rights and support the campaign to correct the Department of Corrections.