“Mia Martinez is a Muslim Afro-Latina trans woman being held at the Elgin Mental Health Center (EMHC) for the past 24 years. In 1993, at the age of 17, a judge found her “not guilty by reason of insanity” for an act of survival as a young trans girl. Having known herself to be female at a very young age, Mia’s feminine gender expression and identity caused her father confusion and anger which he expressed through severe physical and psychological abuse. This abuse was continuous to which her mother and sister witnessed, being unwilling as well as unable to help her.
Despite her circumstances, Mia has begun to move forward. While at EMHC, she studied and received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Her passion is to work for and help trans youth who are facing interpersonal violence. Mia has a desire to be able to provide the necessary resources and counseling services for trans youth in Chicago. But she needs our help to get out.
On November 15, 2017 Mia is scheduled for a hearing that could potentially allow her to leave EMHC and reintegrate into society here in Chicago. This would be the opportunity for Mia to be able to fulfill her dreams to provide support and care for trans youth in Chicago. We are fundraising $3,000 for her legal fees in to be able to pay her attorney for representation on this day. Anything else raised beyond this would be given to Mia as funds to reintergrate into society.
Masjid al-Rabia is an organization in Chicago that works to provide religious and spiritual support for Muslims who are marginalized in the greater Ummah (Muslim community). We support all incarcerated queer and trans Muslims through our Black and Pink Crescent program, which is a chapter of Black and Pink serving in Chicago. We currently have over 435 queer and trans Muslims who have contacted our organization for support and spiritual care. In our community we believe in fighting for justice and support for all Muslims. This is why we support and are fundraising for Mia Martinez, a member of our mosque community.“