Stanley-Eric-Captive-Genders-Trans-Embodiment-and-Prison-Industrial-Complex

Captive Genderseconomic disparities exist for people of color. Although studies suggestthat poverty has decreased among blacks and “Hispanics” in recent years,issues of food, housing, and employment hardships have remained. 44These economic inequalities have forced many people of color into lowpaying,dangerous jobs that subject them to economic, physical, and emotionalvulnerability.Racialized economic inequity is important to consider when lookingat the hate-motivated violence affecting communities of color. Wealth affordsaccess to institutions of power, including educational systems, themedia, community resources, and political systems. Economics shapeswhose story is told, how a community can afford to respond, what legalaction is taken, and the ways in which the media can be used to publicizeissues of hate or violence within local communities. When families cannotafford food or adequate healthcare and are competing for the limitedresources available to them, challenging violence or legislating protectionmay not be a first priority for community action: survival is. Because ofthe effects of racist economic inequities from a white-dominated capitalistsystem, many people of color are denied access to these larger systems ofpower, perpetuating silence surrounding hate crimes within poor communitiesof color.However, access to resources becomes compounded when examiningpeople of color who are queer. Without community or familial support,many queers of color are pushed into even more economic vulnerability,with no family to fall back on in times of crisis or community to provideemotional support. Coupling racial economic inequity with homophobicattitudes leaves many queers of color in insecure, isolating conditions. Theperceived gender transgression by many transpersons of color can causeserious consequences, ranging from daily abuse or harassment at home tobeing banished from their families and communities. As a result, manytranspersons often end up homeless. Adult homeless shelters are inaccessiblebecause of the fact that most facilities are sex-segregated and willeither turn down a transgender person outright or refuse to house themaccording to their lived gender identity.Similarly, harassment and violence against transpersons is rampantin schools, and many drop out or are kicked out before finishing. Thisleads to less opportunity in a job market that already severely discriminatesagainst transpersons. 45 Many transgender persons are fearful of applyingto jobs because paperwork or other documents might reveal theirold name or birth sex. They also might be fired for transitioning on the job150