My name is Kaki Marshall-Bird and I am the board Secretary and Interim President of The Miss Major Alexander L. Lee TGIJP Black Trans Cultural Center, formerly known as The Transgender Gender-variant Intersex Justice Project (TGIJP). One of our dear community members is in need! Cookie (Bodhi) Bivens has lost their home along with all of their personal belongings in a recent fire. We are launching this GoFundMe to support them in obtaining new housing and beginning to rebuild their life.

Bodhi joined our leadership team at TGIJP as a Legal Coordinator in 2017 after serving 30 years in a CA men's prison as a Black Transgender Woman. Bodhi wrote an amazing article in our 2017 issue of Stiletto (our trans-specific newsletter that we distribute inside the CA prison system and beyond). You can read that article here (https://tgijp.org/stiletto/). In that article, Bodhi describes the challenges of re-entry for a trans people in America. Their story is par for the course for our beloved community and is precisely why, with Bodhi's help, we built up our Melenie Eleneke Grassroots Re-Entry/Socio-Economic Program to provide six months of housing and employment for transgender people exiting prisons in CA.

Bodhi was also was part of the TGIJP team that worked on the California Transgender Policy work group, and helped craft and pass the Transgender Dignity Act in the State of California. Senate Bill 132, also known as the Transgender Respect, Agency, and Dignity Act, became effective in California on January 1, 2021. During their 30 years in California's prison system, Bodhi witnessed the significant challenges faced by transgender people. Bodhi, along with other trans people with lived experience, crafted the language in SB 132 to address some of the challenges faced by incarcerated transgender individuals.

After several years of organizing our community members inside and out to testify and advocate for their own human rights, Bodhi was beginning to suffer under the stress of being on the front lines of this movement. When the pandemic hit, Bodhi had to get out of the city and found their way to the Sierras, where open spaces allowed them to begin to heal from the pressures. They describe living in nature's wild splendor as the ultimate peace after decades of abuse from the U.S. Injustice System.

They have been living for the last six years in a trailer in the woods until a recent fire destroyed their home and all of the property inside it. Bodhi reached out to us for help, and this is the tool we have to assist. We are asking you to help us support Bodhi to rebuild their life in the woods where they have found balance and well-being. Many of our community members that are forced to live inside cities after returning home from incarceration suffer from a myriad of stressors brought on by living in close proximity to others. Since Bodhi has been able to leave the urban boundary, they have been thriving in nature. Please help us support them in overcoming this hiccup in their personal path beyond surviving the Prison Industrial Complex.

Here are a few words from Bodhi: "I'm Bodhi. This name I chose because I strive to be near to enlightenment. Buddha sat under the Bodhi Tree when he ascended, so I'm just simply Bodhi. After serving 30 years in prison, I felt it was time for me to search out that wisdom and peace so that I can become a better human being after so many battles consisting of fighting for basic human rights."

We are seeking to raise $6,000. We have found a trailer that we can buy for $4,000 that will provide Bodhi shelter while they are rebuilding their home in the Sierras. $2,000 will be for assisting Bodhi to replace their personal belongings, including a computer for work and organizing, clothing, and other household essentials. Please give what you can! If you have a trailer or an RV that you would like to donate, that would be most welcome!