TRANS WOMAN WRONGLY INCARCERATED

One month ago my life changed forever. I was tricked by police officers and arrested for a falsely reported incident that resulted in me, a trans woman, being placed into a men’s prison unit at Rikers Island for an entire week. While I was wrongly incarcerated & falsely identified as someone with a different name who was born in 1977; I endured mental, emotional, and physical trauma from a system that arrests the guilty until proven innocent. I would sit in my jail cell for hours writing down the things I experienced & the people I met. To much disappointment, I discovered I was not the only member of the LGBTQ community who experiences CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT for reasons directly related to my identity.  One month after release, the experiences written in a jail cell on toilet paper was posted by Paper Magazine. (SEE LINK BELOW) I am so appreciative for them letting me share my story. New York charges have been dropped, but unfortunately the money I now owe to bondsmen, friends' parents, and legal fees remain very active. I also need to do what I can to get my story out there so that these experiences stop happening to women around the country. I still need your help to make a difference. As a staple in New York Nightlife, On NOVEMBER 8 2018, I am throwing a benefit party to raise money for both myself and other transwomen I have met on this journey who also need your help. All event staff are working for free. Not a dollar will be wasted. If you cannot make it, this is still a place to donate to the cause. Anything helps, our sisters need us, we are in this together.

TICKETS: https://restlessnites.com/freelinux

Find the full  essay I wrote in prison here: http://www.papermag.com/linux-therobot-rikers-island-2614565866.html?rebelltitem=23#rebelltitem23