Annie Comes Home: “Performance was my gateway to self-discovery.”

Thursday, June 6, 2024

“Performance was my gateway to self-discovery.”

Pamela,

Jennifer Love's first passion was her career as a drag performer—a love that led her to perform across the East Coast and helped her learn more about herself. "Performance was my gateway to self-discovery," she said.

But in the early 2000s, her thriving career ended abruptly when she went to prison.

Jennifer, a transgender woman, survived six years of incarceration in men's prison facilities. During that time, she endured solitary confinement and a brutal assault. "They kept me in solitary confinement, saying it is for my safety," she said.

After she was released from prison, Jennifer dedicated herself to advocating for the rights of incarcerated people. She founded the Jen Love Project, which sends care packages to LGBTQ+ people returning to their communities from incarceration.

Pamela, the criminal legal system has long been used as a weapon to surveil, police, criminalize, discriminate against, and harass LGBTQ+ people—making stories like Jennifer's all too common.

LGBTQ+ adults are three times more likely to be incarcerated. Nearly one in six transgender people report experiencing jail or prison at some point during their lives. And while incarcerated, they are subjected to harsher treatment.

As we celebrate this Pride Month, we must lift up the voices of LGBTQ+ people who have been impacted by the criminal legal system and advocate for a world where everyone is treated with dignity.

We hope you'll take a moment to watch Jennifer Love's story and learn about her work to support formerly incarcerated LGBTQ+ community members.

In solidarity,

Vera Institute of Justice

PS: You can learn more about the experiences of incarcerated transgender people and their recommendations for policy changes in our report, Advancing Transgender Justice, produced in partnership with Black and Pink National.