I N S
by H arold Moore
There is too much to say about prison. You
can find people who swear that the American
prison system in the United States is doing a
fine job. That all the 300,000 inmates housed
throughout state and federal correctional in
stitutions are subjected to carefully designed
and professional executed programs. That
the system is responsive to the needs of the
men and women incarcerated as well as to
the citizens who desire to make criminals pay
for their crimes.
Then there are the pundits of the left who
say that society is so eager to protect itself
from crime and its purveyors that it is doing
nothing more than sweeping the problem
under the rug by warehousing criminals.
They are also the ones to point out that the
United States has the highest per capita pri
son population in the world, and that beyond
an ever increasing flood of paper and person-
power the system has its obvious failures and
that little is done to address the ever present
reality of the waste of human lives.
Yet from here, inside a federal correction
institution, the question of operational philo
sophy seems far removed from the day-to-
day life of an inmate. Here, the question of
what will appear on the steam table at lunch
successfully competes with the operational
decisions of the Bureau of Prisons. The
mundane often reaches monumental pro
portions.
From my personal point of view, the prison
experience has been and continues to be an
eye opener.
At first I operated under the assumption
that waving the red flag in front of the bull
would at least let the bull know from the start
that he was dealing with ME. Oh, you know,
force people to adjust to what I am first then
let the individual decide to deal with me or
reject me. At least then I could face various
relationships with the knowledge that I
wouldn’t be fooled into thinking that I was
doing well with everybody. My friends would
at least be friends.
What I discovered though was that the
quick witted, flamboyant self I chose to be,
was hard to get rid of. That queen that lurked
so slightly under the surface is indeed a part
of me. I was just as much a victim of the
stereotype as those I was so quick to point out
were my ’sisters."
When it came time for me to “ be myself," I
was put upon to define what "m yself' was. So
I grew my moustache back. It was a start At
least I could look like myself.
it was at this point I ran into C.D.
We, C.D. and me. live in a ten foot by eight
foot room complete with toilet and sink.
Bunk beds made-up with coarse-grey
blankets and military style collared sheets.
6
I G H T
Society is eager to protect itself
from crime and its purveyors, but
prison does nothing more than
sweep the problem under the rug
by warehousing criminals.
The remnants of life are shared and the
stress of this environment carefully dealt
with together. It's the together that makes
this green-apple painted room our home.
O ur two lockers are full of personal items and
issued clothing. The remnants of life are
shared and the stress of this environment
carefully dealt with together. It’s the together
that makes this green-apple painted room
our home.
W ithout sounding too self-righteous I want
to convey to you the reality of being real in the
place where being real is not the accepted
behavior. /
Politically, I’m convinced that when I leave
this place I will leave a legacy of respect and
warmth.
Accepted correctional theory does not al
low for a positive homosexual experience.
Homosexual behavior is the source of vio
lence and thus an interruption of the orderly
operation of the individual institution. An in
mate accused of engaging in a sexual act
with another inmate is subject to disciplinary
action and punishment by the instution’s Dis
ciplinary Committee. Proposing sexual
behavior is also against the rules.
This course of action is in response to the
threats of homosexual rapes and preditor/
prey relationships in which the strong prevail.
What the rules avoid is the ever increasing
visibility of the gay population now flooding
the prison system. At this institution, for
instance, the gay population is a large and
easily identified minority. Like gay commu
nities everywhere the diverse individual parts
make the total com m unity a colorful and
fascinating entity. Rules be damned, boys will
be boys and the coupling process goes on.
Attracted by physical, emotional and mat
ter of fact realities such as protection and
economics, the gay population survives out
side the law much like communities did all
over the United State pre-Stonewall. The real
ity of our presence forces some adjustments
in institution reaction, but the bottom line
fact-of-life is that at the whim of any of the
200 or so employees in this U.S. Government
facility an on going, perfectly honest and
positive relationship can be declared quasi
crim inal and punishment is forthcoming with
no allowable defense. In this spirit being to
gether can be a daring statement
Historically, the gay male in prison has had
to deal with his own sexuality in the context of
the perceptions and stereotypes of the
straight inmate population and the ever pre
sent correctional staff. Out of the closet gays
were forced to assume the public images of
surrogate women. Names like Lisa, Dee Dee
and Candy are to this day common reminders
of the accepted role of gay men in the arena
of corrections. Shaved legs, plucked eye
brows and make-up made of every imagin
able ingredient underscore the names and in
effect a new gender is created. Personal pro
nouns change as rapidly as the population
around us becomes aware that Joe Jones
becomes Joanna, who has very smooth legs
and a very colorful facade. From he to she
seems to be the shortest distance between
strict gender identification and the sexual
ambiguity of the open gay male in jail.
The structure is showing signs of breaking
down, though. In 1984 it is easier to establish
a person acceptable to the macho segment
of the prison population free of the stereo
types. But the route to accurate portrayal is
littered with the painted faces of men unable
to muster the strength to carry their liberation
to its fruition and are forced by fear and in
tim idation to return to the passive surrogate
role. It becomes more and more acceptable,
though, to be what you are and turn away
from the trite and cliche.
Just O ut.
March 30 - April 13