Surviving Trauma and the Prison Industrial Complex: Stories of Resilience among Trans Men

Edited by Sarah A. Rogers and Baker A. Rogers, 2025, paperback

First of its kind, this outstanding collection features 12 testimonies from trans men of diverse backgrounds who chronicle their journeys of trauma, struggle and survival in America’s prison industrial complex. Original and unabridged, the voices compiled here tell in very personal and relatable terms how folks living on the margins of gender, race, ethnicity, and class become ensnared in one of America’s most insidious systems designed to exploit human vulnerabilities for profit. While these men have been victimized, they live today with the hope, dignity, and wisdom that their journeys have gifted them.

"This collection shines a glaring light on the oft-ignored lived experiences of transgender men caught up in the web of the criminal legal system. Through a collection of first-person narratives, a diverse group of formerly incarcerated men reveal the myriad traumas that contributed to their offending, defined their carceral experiences, and shaped their post-incarceration lives. Harrowing stories of violence and injustice are offered alongside tales of resilience and fortitude, painting a picture that reveals the complexities and depth of both the prison industrial complex as well as the men that find themselves at the center of it."
Emily Lenning, Professor of Criminal Justice, Fayetteville State University

"This collection is a must-read for anyone committed to understanding the intersections of trans masculine identity, criminalization, and resistance. Through deeply personal and moving testimonies, this book reveals the pervasive injustices faced by trans men navigating social stigma, family trauma, institutional violence, systemic racism and discrimination. At the same time, these powerful accounts illuminate the ways that trans men survive hostile social conditions and find ways to build community, enact self-determination, and resist oppression."
S. Lamble, Professor of Criminology and Queer Theory and Co-founder of Bent Bars Project.

"Stories that will fry your eyeballs combined with a humanity and an unwillingness to be broken by a broken system that shines through every chapter. The voices of trans men who have survived with their genders and dignity intact adds a long missing perspective on trans-over incarceration in the PIC."
Riki Wilchins, When Texas Came for Our Kids: How Evangelical Extremists Launched a War on Transgender Teens