The other inmates were supportive of my pursuit of gender reassignment, not necessarily because they believed deeply in trans rights, but because compelling the government to allow me to take hormones was fighting back against the prison. A victory for me would be a victory for prisoners. Eventually, the prison allowed me to wear female underwear, but it was a concession so small it felt insulting. I wanted hormones—a fundamental change to my body and my biological workings—and they gave me a slightly different cut to a piece of cotton.
