[Blog/Commentary] [USA] Levi needs some help

[Stephanie Stevens]

Daily Kos, USA


Tue Aug 21, 2012 at 04:00 PM PDT

Levi needs some help

by rserven <http://www.dailykos.com/user/rserven> for TransAction
<http://www.dailykos.com/blog/TransAction>


Levi Gammons <http://www.originalplumbing.com/2012/08/20/jailed-for-being-trans-and-married-support-levi-gammons/>
fell in love. He had a comfortable life in Florida as a professional
counselor with a surfing hobby, but he gave that up to move to
Virginia to live with his new bride. Unfortunately, things didn't
work out so well. She turned on him. She decided there was no way
she could stay married to a transman. So she abandoned him.

Not only that, but Levi was arrested in Lynchburg, home of Jerry
Falwell and Liberty University, and charged with felony forgery for
putting an M on his marriage certificate. Bear in mind this was a
transman who had been on testosterone for a dozen years.

Levi pled nolo contendere in exchange for having a five year sentence
suspended to one year, to be spent entirely in solitary confinement in
state prison. He has had no access to the library or any programs
that would prepare him for adjustment after his release. Moreover he
is not eligible to participate in any re-entry program because he is
transgender. All half-way houses are single-sex and they will not
allow him to live in either s men's or a women's facility. So Levi
will be released at the end on September with no home, no money, no
job, no local friends and no family (his parents are both deceased and
he has no siblings).

He has had some contact with an attorney. Dru Levasseur of Lambda
Legal wrote about that at Chronicles of the Chronically Lost
<http://skylineprophet.tumblr.com/post/27365650128/brothers-sisters-others>
.

If you want to send a letter to Levi, you can do so at

Levi Gammons
LADC
PO Box 6018
Lynchburg, VA 24505

[Video <http://youtu.be/n4EixnBWqBc> ]

Sarah Jenny <http://www.sarahjenny.org/blog/> and Wyatt Riot (from
Original Plumbing and the queer foodie television show Put It in Your
Mouth with Wyatt Riot <http://www.putitinyourmouthwithwyattriot.com/>
) became pen pals with Levi and eventually decided to offer the trans
community's hands to help. You can support Levi at indiegogo
<http://www.indiegogo.com/support-levi> . The original intent was to
try to raise $5000 for him. That was reached earlier today. But
there are still 26 days left and we can raise the ante.

I can’t tell you how much this means to me. I really appreciate
it. You have my blessings and thanks to go for it. Put it out there to
the whole world.

--Levi Gammons

You can contact Sarah and Wyatt at suppor...@heyqueen.org.


© Kos Media, LLC

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/08/21/1122714/-Levi-needs-some-help