Being gay in jail

Reflecting on his early years of incarceration, Vick recalls how few people were openly gay in prison nearly three decades ago. Under PREA regulations, inmates must undergo annual classification hearings where they are assigned one of three labels: predator, victim, or neutral.

Incarcerated LGBTQ+ Adults and :

In a recent essay for Filter Magazine, Vick shared his experiences as an openly gay man in prison, detailing the risks, forced identities, and the reality of navigating life behind bars. Latest Posts. Share the Post:.

The experience of being gay in prison has changed a lot since I was first incarcerated almost 30 years ago. At my old prison, one man helped me get the best room available in exchange for sexual favors. I thought as a gay man being sent to prison my life was over.

Back then I remember very few prisoners who were open about being anything other than heterosexual. Anyone with a history of sex-related offenses—including those arrested for sex work or violating HIV laws—is labeled a predator. Heterosexual inmates are usually classified as neutral.

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, lesbian and bisexual women are four times more likely to be arrested than straight women, while one in six trans people has experienced incarceration. Every once in a while someone flamboyant would rise up and refuse to live in hiding, and.

I joined that crowd—the quietly gay crowd—and stayed there for years because it allowed me to live in relative peace and avoid being sexually assaulted. To avoid these misclassifications, Vick intentionally identifies as heterosexual during his PREA hearings.

Those who did come out were often placed in administrative protective custody—a term for solitary confinement. The Prison Rape Elimination Act PREA was enacted in to combat sexual violence in correctional facilities, though Vick argues that coercion and abuse remain prevalent.

The Hidden Struggles of Being Gay in Prison Reflecting on his early years of incarceration, Vick recalls how few people were openly gay in prison nearly three decades ago. From the. Over time, Vick observed a gradual increase in openly gay prisoners, though many still conceal their identities for safety.

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