VLOG: A Day in the Life of Rural Reentry (11): Human?

Episode 11 – Human or Not Human? 

Video text below:

So, it’s Pride Month—a time for us as a culture to celebrate a group of people who have historically been marginalized, discriminated against, and even treated violently by mainstream society.

It wasn’t that long ago that LGBTQ folks were widely regarded as just not human—at least as human the rest of us cis-gender, heterosexual folks. Somehow along the way, America gave up its fear of LGBTQ people—at least in most places—and now as I drive through my town, I see rainbow flags everywhere. As a Christian who believes that all people are made in the Image of God and have inherent worth, it’s inspiring. 

Now I know we still have a long way to go to realize the visibility and full inclusion of the diverse groups of people who have historically been systematically marginalized in this country. But at least the laws have changed over the years and provided some protection against blatant discrimination and dehumanization.

Well… that is, unless you commit a crime. The incarcerated and formerly incarcerated are systematically, blatantly, and legally marginalized, discriminated against and dehumanized. 

I have friends who get very worked up over immigration reform, LGBTQ rights who will show up to BLM protests. But, when I bring up the need to advocate for justice reform for the 2.3 million people we have in cages or the over 70 million people who are marginalized because of a criminal record, some of these friends will push back and say, “It’s not the same, those people have broken the law and we need to hold them accountable.” 

Is accountability feeding someone food that is labeled “not fit for human consumption”?  Is accountability depriving people access to their loved ones because we move them to prisons far, far away and then charge exorbitant amounts to make phone calls or have video visits? Is accountability subjecting incarcerated people to slave labor—a practice that is protected in our constitution? 

I personally have seen corrections officers threaten to throw women into solitary confinement—the MOST dehumanizing setting in a prison—just for rolling their eyes. Did you know that someone can be kept in solitary confinement while the prison investigates whether the officer who put them there was justified? 

I know someone who was thrown into a concrete cage for 30 days, until a prison investigation determined that she did nothing wrong. Oh, and the officer who put her there didn’t even say they were sorry, or for that matter, have any regard for how traumatizing and disorienting that experience was.

And if you care about Pride, you should know that LGBTQ folks are incarcerated at three times the rate of straight folk. They are more likely to be harassed by police, and, while they are incarcerated, are far more likely to be sexually victimized by staff or other incarcerated people.   

Everything about the way we treat people who have broken the law is designed to dehumanize and ostracize.  

From the spaces we build to cage them, to taking away their right to vote, to denying them decent health care, food, and the most basic human need for having family connections. The whole set up screams, “You are not like us and you do not belong!” 

And, when someone is treated like they don’t belong for long enough, eventually, they quit wanting to belong.  And stealing my car to feed an untreated addiction seems like a pretty reasonable thing to do.  

So, as we celebrate Pride month and how important the visibility and full inclusion of our LGBTQ neighbors is to the fabric of our communities, let’s also keep working toward a day where every neighbor is treated like a human being that belongs. 

95% of the folks we lock up are coming back to the neighborhood—who do we want them to be?