Hey People!

SB 310 - the Name and Dignity Act for Incarcerated Trans People has a hearing on March 28th in the Senate Public Safety committee and we need your help to get this bill passed!!

Please send an organizational support letter by Tuesday , March 21th for SB 310 - The Name and Dignity Act for Incarcerated Trans People on your organizational letter head. Click here for the template.

WRAP is running SB 310, the Name and Dignity Act, in a coalition with the Transgender Gendervariant Intersex Justice Project, St. James Infirmary and the Transgender Law Center and we are getting into high gear demanding dignity, safety and liberation for trans people inside and outside of prison walls. At WRAP, we know that fighting for trans people's rights is a step towards decriminalizing poverty and homelessness as trans people are disproportionately impacted by poverty and homelessness.

SB 310, the Name and Dignity Act, changes the process for trans people in prison who are trying to access a legal name and gender marker change. A gender marker is the letter on your identification documents that currently has the option M or F.

Trans people in prison trying to change their name and gender must get approval from the warden. What this means is that people are either flat-out denied or thrown through so many bureaucratic loops that they give up. In the history of California, there are 3 people who have changed their name and genders while incarcerated. 2 of those were a result of a lawsuit.

SB 310, the Name and Dignity Act, would change the process to be more similar to the process for trans people on the outside - through the superior court and taking the decision out of the hands of wardens. To apply to the superior court you need to fill out 7 or 8 forms and include a doctors note - it takes about 3 months to a year. It's up to the courts to decide whether or not your name and gender marker change are granted.

This is important for trans people's safety, dignity and liberation for two main reasons.

This is a re-entry issue. Trans people who are spat out of the prison system with identification documents that don't match their gender presentation have immense challenges trying to access their basic needs like housing, employment, healthcare and government subsides. Often when trans people show IDs that don't match their gender presentation they are denied services, harassed and sometimes assaulted. Having this process cleared up while a person is in custody makes it much easier to access these services when they are released.

Changing a person's name and gender while incarcerated would force the prison system to respect that person's name. Currently, if you are trans and your legal name is something other then what you use - the guards, other prisoners and everyone in CDCR will call you by your legal name. Trans people in prison already face immense daily physically, emotional, sexual and spiritual violence. Being misnamed and misgendered is also an act of violence. Forcing the prison system to respect the dignity of trans people's names provides a moment of relief through these oppressive conditions. This bill would currently not effect housing for trans prisoners as that is currently based on a person's genitalia.

If you have questions you can send them to coral@wraphome.org

Oregon Right to Rest Act!

Oregon organizers are so excited that HB 2215, the Oregon Right to Rest Act is moving this year. We are gearing up for our first hearing in the Judiciary committee but we need your help!

Oregon state legislators Piluso, Dembrow, Greenlick, Nosse, Power, Hernandez and Frederick will be championing HB 2215 - The Oregon Right2Rest Act - for the second year. The Right2Rest Act is stronger, clearer, and more powerful! If HB 2215 passes this year - it will force the state of Oregon to abandon its practices of criminalizing homeless people for engaging in basic life-sustaining activities like sitting, lying, sleeping, resting and eating in public. The criminalization of rest must end if we are ever to turn the tide on our homelessness crisis.

You can read the full bill language here and you can read the main talking points here.

Follow These 2 Easy Steps to TAKE ACTION!

1) Send a letter of organizational support!
• Click here for a sample letter.
• Please send your letter by Tuesday, March 28th on organizational letterhead, to: coral@wraphome.org and oregonhbr@gmail.com

2) Email and call the members of the House Judiciary Committee by Friday, March 10th and urge them to support HB 2215, the Oregon Right2Rest Act

• Committee Chair, Jeff Barker: (503) 986-1428 rep.jeffbarker@state.or.us

• Committee Vice-Chair, Jenniffer Williamson: (503) 986-1436
rep.jenniferwilliamson@oregonlegislature.gov

• Mitch Greenlick: (503) 986-1433 rep.mitchgreenlick@state.or.us

• Ann Lininger: (503) 986-1438 rep.annlininger@state.or.us

• Andy Olson: (503) 986-1415 rep.andyolson@state.or.us

• Bill Post: (503) 986-1425 rep.billpost@state.or.us

• Sherrie Sprenger: (503) 986-1417 rep.sherriesprenger@state.or.us

• Chris Gorsek: (503) 986-1449 rep.chrisgorsek@state.or.us

• Tawna Sanchez: (503) 986-1443 rep.tawnasanchez@oregonlegislature.gov

• Duane Stark: (503) 986-1404 rep.duanestark@state.or.us

• Rich Vial: (503) 986-1426 rep.richvial@oregonlegislature.gov

Sample Script:

My name is ________ and I am calling to urge you to vote YES on the Right To Rest Act. You will be hearing HB 2215: Oregon Right To Rest Act in the Assembly Judiciary Committee. This bill provides critical civil rights protections to ALL Oregonians to ensure that every Oregonians is able to meet the biological need of rest. The practice of criminalizing poor and homeless people for engaging in basic life-sustaining activities like eating, sleeping, resting, lying and sleeping is unjust, cruel and entrenches people in homelessness. HB 2215 will allow homeless people more time and energy to access services, search for employment and apply for housing that would otherwise be spent responding to police harassment, tickets, courts and jail time. Please vote YES on Hb 2215: the Oregon Right To Rest Act!

We ask you to stand us in ensuring that we can all have our right to rest!