Major! was a very interesting film that contains many details that I’ve never really delved in to discover. One of the more pressing themes of the film involves the prison system. Most of the time spent thinking about the prison system, I’ve only ever noticed it in terms of privatization and the grossly large proportion of people of color incarcerated. One thing that often is overlooked is the presence of trans men and women in the prison system. While there has been more recent exposure through the use of mainstream film and media, like Orange is the New Black, I often forget the concerns and trials that trans POC face in the system from sexual assault to lack of hormone therapy.
Even beyond that, trans people are often placed in assignments that do not fit their identification, and that poses a threat that often leads to violence. Most times, they are even placed in the shu (aka solitary confinement) for their own “safety” which the U.N. identifies as torture when over 15 days.
After the film, I was left wanting to know more about Miss Major and the Transgender Gender Variant Intersex Justice Project (TGIJP). I want to know the current state of affairs and more that I can do to ensure proper reform.