Queer Justice & LGBTQ+ Work.
Acting with Compassion & Truth
ACT is the first restorative LGBTQ+ program in the nation. We are diverse group of individuals
— LGBTQ people and heterosexual/cisgender people, of a diversity of ethnicities, ages, and faiths − who are dedicated to building empathy and compassion regarding gender identity and sexual orientation, particularly within the context of incarceration.
Through education, dialogue, analysis, exercises, and creative processes, we strive to increase community and self-understanding, while also decreasing aggression and violence against LGBTQ+ people in carceral institutions.
This course is by and for incarcerated people, most of whom are serving very long sentences, but who will soon be paroling back into our communities, which have changed and evolved significantly during the decades that participants have been incarcerated.
— LGBTQ people and heterosexual/cisgender people, of a diversity of ethnicities, ages, and faiths − who are dedicated to building empathy and compassion regarding gender identity and sexual orientation, particularly within the context of incarceration.
Through education, dialogue, analysis, exercises, and creative processes, we strive to increase community and self-understanding, while also decreasing aggression and violence against LGBTQ+ people in carceral institutions.
This course is by and for incarcerated people, most of whom are serving very long sentences, but who will soon be paroling back into our communities, which have changed and evolved significantly during the decades that participants have been incarcerated.
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ACT set out to create a safe space for both incarcerated LGBTQ+ people, as well as cisgender/heterosexual people, to learn from and to educate one another. In 2014, we convened a pilot group of restorative facilitators and incarcerated people of all ages, faiths, and ethnicities. Some pilot members identified as LGBTQ; others had previously been convicted of hate crimes or gender/sexual violence. Many of the incarcerated pilot members were also highly-skilled facilitators who brought with them all they had learned in their Restorative Justice facilitator trainings, as well as their invaluable lived experience. Additionally, we invited outside experts — on topics such as transgender health, LGBTQ+ history, and women’s studies, among others — to immersively collaborate. Collectively, we spent nearly four years creating the content and exercises that are now the curriculum for this groundbreaking program. |
It's been eight years since we first boldy went where none had gone before, introducing LGBTQ education in a men's prison. Since then, the transformation seen has been nothing short of extraordinary. One of the first culture changes recognized was the use of proper pronouns throughout the institution. Today, numerous participants are proud to say that they are the first person in their family with whom a loved one was able to "come out" — the very first person with whom an LGBTQ person felt safe being authentically and fully themself. Many group members have seen family relationships restored, including one Laotian man who told a visiting NBC reporter to the program that the group saved the life of his gay little brother. Another participant who is Muslim began inviting his transgender sister to visit him regularly and they are working together to both educate their family and also add value to the growing ACT curriculum. |
The founding pilot group of ACT was interviewed,
in the early days of the program, about their thoughts
on LGBTQ+ programming coming to a state prison.
Watch this video to hear what they had to say.
And stay tuned for future videos to see
how far the work has come in the last eight years.
State Court Program and Hate Crime Diversion