Transform Dane is a nonprofit dedicated to the humanity of incarcerated people. Our long-term goal is to create new policies that respect the inherent dignity of all human beings.
Transform Dane began as a response to founder Eli’s time in solitary confinement upon his arrival at the Dane County Jail. His blog “Dear Mom, I’m Still Me,” hosted on this site, details his experiences while incarcerated and the events that led him there.
His experiences highlighted the unique challenges faced by trans and gender-nonconforming people in jails and prisons, but our work supports all incarcerated people navigating isolation, violence, and neglect behind bars. As a neurodivergent and openly trans man, Eli’s experience is not the norm in Dane County Jail. Nevertheless, his time in “intake seg” showed the ways in which incarceration seeks to erases identity and disables people by design.
From denying prisoners vital healthcare to crumbling, inaccessible facilities to echoes of past traumas, systems of incarceration target marginalized people on all fronts. Our mission in the short run is to provide resources for incarcerated people and their loved ones and amplify the voices and experiences of trans and gender-nonconforming individuals in Wisconsin jails and prisons. By combining direct support with advocacy, we’re working towards a future where all members of our community are affirmed, supported, and heard, and no one is forgotten.
A Year Outside the Lines
"It becomes a very strange line to cross, as I did, finding myself in one room of addicts criminalizing addiction, only to be locked in a similar room of addicts, having our addictions criminalized. However, crossing that line taught me perhaps my most important lesson yet. There is no line. Life is not static, life is not compartmentalized, life is not linear, and we are not made to occupy one singular coordinate on a graph."
The Sound of Silence
"...I’ve learned through the twists and turns my life has taken to appreciate the magnitude of finding unexpected joy in anything, no matter how small or ridiculous. I owe much of that gratitude to these human beings we call criminals. They were there, live, a literal captive audience for my 'Transgender Former Cop' jail open mic. They looked past the labels, stereotypes, and stigmas in a way that only those who have pleaded for the same from the world can. "
A Rainbow Bridge Through Cement Walls
"One year ago today, you brought Stella to the vet to cross the Rainbow Bridge. I was in Dane County Jail “seg” (solitary confinement). My goodbye to the cat I’d loved, cared for, and who slept by my side for the past 12 years was said over a DCJ phone at 16 cents a minute."