Books Beyond Bars UK
is a collective of volunteers who send books and other educational materials, free of charge, to incarcerated LGBTQIA+ people across the United Kingdom. The decision to launch this project in the UK was been inspired by our sister project in the US, LGBT Books to Prisoners. The team there have sent book parcels to more than 8,000 incarcerated people across the US.
BBB receives letters from LGBTQIA+ people in prison in the UK stating what kinds of books and/or resources they want and need. From the books and zines they have in stock they put together packages containing books, educational materials, and LGBTQIA+ resources. They try to meet requests as closely as possible based on genre and type from the books donated to us.
If you are an LGBTQIA+ person in prison or know someone who is, click here for a copy of the main order form or here for a ‘discreet’ version with the full name of the project and any specific reference to LGBTQIA+ content removed.
Why does this matter?
BBB believes that this work matters because we want to acknowledge, and work against, the oppressive functions of the prison system. The project seeks to shift some control back into the hands of incarcerated people by giving them access to resources of their choosing.
BBB try to meet individuals’ requests as directly as possible. In this way they also seek to affirm the dignity of all individuals by providing access to knowledge of individuals’ choosing, so that they can learn and grow as they wish.
Access to reading materials in prison can be limited, and LGBTQIA+ people can have a particularly hard time finding resources that meet their needs and wants. BBB are in a position to gather and distribute these resources.
LGBTQIA+ people in prison face hardships that can include – but are not limited to – isolation and violence. We want people to know that there is a supportive community on the outside that cares about their well-being.
Want to get involved?
You can find out how to get involved in the project here. If you or anyone you know makes zines that you think they could use, they’d love to hear from you! Drop them an email to talk about it.
For more information, and questions about order forms, contact [email protected]
The Bent Bars Project is a letter-writing project for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, gender-variant, intersex, and queer prisoners in Britain. The project was founded in 2009, responding to a clear need to develop stronger connections and build solidarity between LGBTQ communities inside and outside prison walls.
Bent Bars aim to work in solidarity with prisoners by organizing pen-pal matches, sharing resources, providing mutual support, and drawing public attention to the struggles of queer and trans people behind bars.
LGBTQ+ people have a long history of being policed and criminalized (and of resisting that criminalization), and the criminal justice system continues to target and criminalize queer, trans, and gender non-conforming people. We also know that queer, trans and gender non-conforming people are often subject to increased isolation, harassment and violence when in prison. This is why organizations like BBP that specifically support LGBTQ+ people in prison are so important.
To find out more, and how to get involved, including donating https://www.bentbarsproject.org/
Labels: 2022, Bent Bars Project, Books Beyond Bars, incarcerated, queer prisoners
