• Community Without Conditions
  • BLACK LIVES MATTER
  • Community Without Conditions

Supporting LGBTQ Prisoners in the Pacific Northwest

Black Lives Matter

Here at Beyond These Walls we work to support LGBTQ folks who are incarcerated. We have been hearing stories of police brutality and systemic violence for years, especially from our black members. Violence against black people extends far beyond police- it runs deep into the criminal “justice” system. The system is not broken – it was never intended to work for black people. Police and prisons are not the answer. They never will be. They cannot be fixed. We must rethink the ways in which we achieve justice. We have to rethink the idea of justice and what that means for our society.

Our organization is proud to stand with black folks everywhere in our fight for justice. Our liberation, your liberation, is inherently tied to black liberation. We fully support the movements happening all over our country, peaceful or not. We believe Black Lives Matter.

About Us

Beyond These Walls was founded in 2011. We started as a project to send cards to LGBTQ prisoners during the holidays. We wanted extend community to our LGBTQ family living behind bars. We did not expect the overwhelming response from folks in prison. We received hundreds of letters of thanks and cries for help. As our project grew, our understanding of what people in prison needed and were asking for also grew. Over the years we have evolved into a robust community of people offering a number of programs to support LGBTQ people in prison.

We are a Trans led organization with an exclusively LGBTQ staff and advisory committee. We believe in an LGBTQ community without conditions, where we welcome and embrace people trying to be a part of our community, even if they’ve made mistakes. We believe the criminal justice system is inherently flawed and should be completely torn down. We also believe that if people who are locked up are asking us for help right now, we have to answer their calls. The movement to end mass incarceration must be led by the people most impacted: currently and formerly incarcerated people.

Check out our programs to find out more about what we do.

Our Programs

We support LGBTQ prisoners in a variety of ways.
Contact us here with any questions about our programs.

Case Management

We work to connect prisoners with the resources they request, such as reentry referrals, housing, legal services, advocacy and more.

Pen Pals

We are proud to partner with Black and Pink PDX to find pen pals for folks incarcerated in Oregon. You can sign up for pen pals HERE.

Reentry Program

Our reentry program provides case management, cash assistance, food and clothing to transgender people and BIPOC LGBTQ+ folks being released from prison.

Oregon Prisoner Coalition

We lead a statewide coalition of over a dozen organizations working to address prison conditions in Oregon.

Advocacy & Activism

We work in collaboration with our community partners to advocate for various changes. We do this through a few different coalitions as well as direct advocacy.

Leadership Groups

Before the pandemic we held several leadership groups inside of prisons. When the prisons allow outsiders to return, we’ll resume those efforts.

Our Team

Here are the people who make it happen.

Erich Pitcher

Erich Pitcher

Erich Pitcher is President of the Board of Directors for Beyond These Walls. He has a PhD in Education and is passionate about achieving liberation for our family behind bars.

Hailey Ockinga

Hailey Ockinga

Hailey is our Executive Director. She oversees all of the programs at Beyond These Walls.

Artemis Walker

Artemis Walker

Artemis is our Oregon organizer. They are the first point of contact for our incarcerated members in Oregon.

Advisory Committee and Board of Directors

Advisory Committee and Board of Directors

Our advisory committee is comprised of 8 LGBTQ people currently living in prison. The committee oversees and directs all of our work in conjunction with our board of directors. Our board: Erich Pitcher, Rowan Moon, Robin Knauerhase, Martin Covarrubias, and Katie Frederick

Contact Us

Find us on Facebook or Instagram

Beyond These Walls
PO Box 13006
Portland, OR 97213

For our executive Director:

hailey@beyondthesewallslgbt.org

For our direct services:

artemis@beyondthesewallslgbt.org

For our board of directors:

erich@beyondthesewallslgbt.org

For all other questions:

info@beyondthesewallslgbt.org