A monthly letter writing night for queer Indiana prisoners! Come send letters to queer and trans people held captive in Indiana prisons. We will provide stamps, stationery, prisoner contacts, information on writing to prisoners, and snacks. All ages welcome.
Wednesday, August 13th
7-9 pm
Boxcar Books
408 E. 6th St
Bloomington, IN
We are reblogging this from Marius’s support site. Marius is an anarchist, eco-warrior, former resident of Bloomington, and we have so much love for him. We urge everyone to support him in every way as he goes through this process of coming out, and for every day until he is free! – Indiana QPS
We would like to let everyone know that Marius Jacob Mason will no longer be using the name Marie, and will be using male pronouns. We hope that you will all join us in supporting Marius through this transition, which will no doubt be extra challenging within the prison system. Until his name is legally changed, any mail sent to Marius in prison will still need to be addressed to ‘Marie Mason’ on the envelope. This goes for donations also. Please write to Marius at this time! Receiving supportive and friendly mail makes a world of difference. Below is a statement read out by Moira Meltzer-Cohen, one of Marius’ legal representatives, at a solidarity event organized by New York City ABC recently.
“My name is Moira Meltzer-Cohen. I’m an attorney working with a person of immense courage and integrity, someone who struggles for liberation and self-determination on behalf of other people, non-human animals, and life on Earth itself. This is someone whose courage and integrity are made even more salient by the fact that their own liberation and their own autonomy have long been severely circumscribed.
Even more than most people in prison, my client and those in their unit face rigid, arbitrary constraints on communication and expression that impact every part of their lives. But even more – I want you to imagine how difficult it would be if all your struggles toward liberation and autonomy were taking place not only in a prison, but in a world that always targets trans people for further violence, confinement, and abuse.
I am proud to be working with Marius Jacob Mason to change their name to the one that reflects his masculine gender identity.
It is my sincere hope that this announcement does not serve as any kind of excuse for argument or debate – it should be self-evident that trans-exclusion is indefensible in any movement claiming to move us toward collective liberation. If we are serious about liberation and autonomy, it is incumbent upon us to take seriously that all our various struggles are mutually implicated, that earth liberation and trans liberation are not simply mutually compatible, but that achievement of each is a necessary condition for the satisfaction of the other.
So I want to call on “us” – anarchists, allies, environmental justice advocates – let us acknowledge Marius’ gender now, not only for Marius’ sake, but for the sake of our collective liberation. This transition not only does not undermine the importance of Marius’ environmental and other social commitments – it is further evidence of his commitment to justice, and bravery in the face of repressive and destructive systems. It has not been and will not be easy for Marius to transition while in custody of the most heinous part of the U.S. prison system.
But we can make this process a little easier by supporting his gender identity, by using the appropriate masculine pronouns and his correct name, writing to him and other incarcerated trans folks, providing meaningful social support, and funding legal battles and medical needs both in and out of prison. We have an opportunity as a community to demonstrate conclusively that we are strong, that we understand the mutual implications of all forms of oppression, and that we can reject the subordination of any cause to another. I want to also remind you that because transpeople are disproportionately and aggressively policed, there are many many folks in prison who need your support, including one I want to highlight, Jane Doe, a 16 year-old trans girl who is being held without charges in Connecticut. You can find more information at facebook/justice4janeCT. You can find information about incarcerated trans people at SRLP.org, and more information about Marius Jacob Mason at supportmariemason.org“
As Midwest Pages to Prisoners begins its move to the back room Boxcar Books, Indiana QPS will also be moving. July’s letter writing night, and all subsequent letter writing nights, will be held at Boxcar Books (408 E. 6th St.) from 7-9pm. Come join us, write letters, and check out Pages’ new space!
A monthly letter writing night for queer Indiana prisoners! Come send letters to queer and trans people held captive in Indiana prisons. We will provide stamps, stationery, prisoner contacts, information on writing to prisoners, and snacks. All ages welcome.
Wednesday, May 14th
7-10 pm
118 S Rogers St
Bloomington, IN
Here is a PDF of our zine catalog. Please print this out and mail it to queer and trans inmates in Indiana. Contact us or come to one of our events to help fill literature orders or get copies of the catalog.
A monthly letter writing night for queer Indiana prisoners! Come send letters to queer and trans people held captive in Indiana prisons. We will provide stamps, stationery, prisoner contacts, information on writing to prisoners, and snacks. All ages welcome.
Wednesday, April 9th
7-10 pm
118 S Rogers St
Bloomington, IN
A monthly letter writing night for queer Indiana prisoners! Come send letters to queer and trans people held captive in Indiana prisons. We will provide stamps, stationery, prisoner contacts, information on writing to prisoners, and snacks. All ages welcome.
Wednesday, March 12th
7-10 pm
118 S Rogers St
Bloomington, IN
Our comrade Lorenzo L. Stone, an inmate at Indiana State Prison, has an upcoming parole hearing in May 2014 and we are asking friends to send letters of support to the Indiana Parole Board in the hopes of aiding his chance of obtaining parole.
Lorenzo had his parole revoked in 2007 for a misdemeanor of Driving While Intoxicated, during which no one was injured and no accident occurred. While in prison, he has undertaken numerous rehabilitative, educational, and vocational programs.
With that said, we firmly believe that no one should be in prison and believe that prison solidarity must entail the material support for all prisoners attempting to obtain parole. With this in mind, we ask you, friends, to write letters to the Indiana Parole Board supporting parole for Lorenzo L. Stone. (A sample petition with relevant information, approved by Lorenzo, can be read below.
All letters should be sent to:
Indiana Parole Board
402 W. Washington St, Room W466
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Lorenzo has also asked that a copy of all letters of support be sent to him if possible:
Lorenzo L. Stone #10006
Indiana Department of Correction
Indiana State Prison
1 Park Row
Michigan City, IN 46360
Please repost and forward this widely.
We’re happy to share a new zine from Untorelli Press collecting histories, documents, and interviews related to the armed struggle group The George Jackson Brigade and their offshoot queer prison rebel group Men Against Sexism.
The George Jackson Brigade was a multi-racial group of Marxists and anarchists who engaged in an attack campaign against structures of repression and exploitation in the 1970s. The group is notable for its explicitly feminist and gay liberation politic. When he was imprisoned for Brigade actions, member Ed Mead formed the militant self-defense group Men Against Sexism to defend queer, trans, and other victimized inmates from both prison authorities and predatory and homophobic inmates.
This zine is a comprehensive and important glimpse into multiform queer armed struggle against prison society. Check it out!
