Bitch Radio: Talking Trans and Queer Embodiment and Imprisonment with the Contributors of Captive Genders

The cover of Captive Genders, which is black with a photo of cop cars on fire in blue

“Pathologized, terrorized, and confined, trans/gender-non-conforming and queer folks have always struggled against the enormity of the prison industrial complex.” The anthology Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex, which came out this summer from AK Press, addresses trans and queer identity and prison industrial complex. From the disproportionate incarceration of trans people, to the politics of immigration, to imagining a world where we don’t rely on prisons and the state for safety using a queer/trans analysis, this anthology is a must-read for anyone who cares about gender rights and justice. Its contributors include people formerly and currently incarcerated, activists, and academics approaching the topic with a diverse range of perspectives on different aspects of the PIC inside and out. Eric Stanley, co-editor of the book, Ralowe T. Ampu, a contributor, and Toshio Meronek are currently doing a book tour for Captive Genders, and I got to sit down with them while they were in Portland to further discuss the PIC, why gender and gay rights activists should care about prison abolition, and how pop culture and media re-inforce harmful narratives about quote-unquote criminals.