Grace Pinson is being released from federal prison after 23 years and heading home to Oklahoma. A trans woman and a jailhouse lawyer who has successfully sued the Bureau of Prisons, Grace went to jail at 17 for sending prank letters to government officials.
Grace has become an activist for reform of the criminal legal system and transgender rights while incarcerated, acting as her own attorney in lawsuits advocating for herself and supporting other incarcerated people in their cases.
With the election of Donald Trump, Grace and other trans people in federal prison have had even less access to care and accommodation and Grace has continued to fight for herself and for other trans people in prison.
Now, Grace needs support after spending 23 years in jail. We can ensure she has the funds she needs to begin to build a life with a steady stream of income toward rent, clothes, food, and transportation.
Grace writes:
"My life is a testament to the notion that that which does not kill us only makes us stronger. I cannot count how many times my life has taken a sudden turn for better or for worse but I believe in redemption and the promise living within us all to rise above our circumstances and to never stop striving for better in every possible way. Now I come with a humble heart and thank anyone who chooses to help me along my journey to freedom. It is not easy to ask for help, especially from a stranger or a charity, but in the end we all must survive in the same basic ways and have either the resilience to withstand the storms of life or be swept away by them. Your help is going to be appreciated by me and my family who themselves really cannot afford another grown dependent in their homes. You alone have the power to help me succeed where so many others fail, to be the rocket fuel to rising above my circumstances to be a better person with a mission to do good and honorable things in life to help others for as long as I live. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you endlessly.”
You can learn more about Grace and her story through reporting fromThe Marshall Project , Mother Jones , and Uncloseted Media.
In addition to the go fund me, you can donate via Paypal () and Venmo (@debra-pinson-2) that goes directly to Grace’s family account. We will include these donation totals in our updates.
This fundraiser is set up by Grace’s friends and family in collaboration with Let’s Get Free
Organizer
