Beyond the Perimeter: Inside BTC, the Groundbreaking LGBTQ+ Sanctuary Thriving Behind Tennessee Prison Walls

At The Queer Route, our platform is dedicated to mapping spatial safety, preserving queer history, and curating verified third places where our community can exist without fear or compromise. Yet spatial sanctuary is not defined solely by open-air gayborhoods, certified coffee shops, or progressive municipal centers. True community sanctuary is also built in environments where safety is actively denied. In this exclusive conversation, founder and CEO Keith Givens sits down with Varia, the pioneering founder of BTC (Be The Change)—the first openly recognized LGBTQIA+ community founded inside the Tennessee prison system. Below, Varia discusses breaking through institutional resistance, creating weekly safe spaces for trans women of color behind bars, combating outside isolation, and building sustainable solidarity.

1. The Spark & The Breakthrough: Organizing Where It Was Deemed Impossible

Keith Givens: In 2014, you broke unprecedented ground by founding BTC as the first openly recognized LGBTQIA+ community inside the Tennessee prison system. When you first decided to organize, what was the biggest barrier you had to break through, and how did you convince the administration to grant official recognition?

Varia: When I founded BTC—Be The Change—in 2014, one of the biggest barriers was getting people to understand that LGBTQIA+ individuals inside prison deserved the same dignity, respect, and opportunity for community as anyone else. There were challenges surrounding stigma, trust, safety, and the idea that incarcerated people could organize for something positive and meaningful.

I knew that if I wanted the administration to take BTC seriously, I had to show them that this was about more than bringing people together. It was about creating accountability, encouraging personal growth, promoting safety, and giving people an opportunity to become better versions of themselves.

I had to be willing to speak up, remain consistent, and demonstrate through our actions that we were serious about making a difference. Recognition was important because it meant creating an opportunity for our community to be seen rather than ignored. BTC was built on the belief that we should not have to lose our identity, our dignity, or our humanity because we are incarcerated. I wanted to create something that could outlive me—something that would show others that even behind prison walls, we can organize, lead, support one another, and be the change we want to see.

2. Redefining Safe Spaces Behind Walls

Keith: At The Queer Route, our entire mission centers around finding and creating safe, affirming spaces. Inside a state correctional facility, where safety is often nonexistent for trans women of color, what does “safe space” look like in practice during your Tuesday meetings?

Varia: For me, a safe space is a place where you can walk into a room and not feel like you have to defend who you are. It is a place where you can be heard, respected, and treated as a human being without being judged for your gender identity, sexual orientation, or personal circumstances.

During our Tuesday meetings, we work to create an environment where members can speak openly, learn from one another, discuss challenges, and receive encouragement. We emphasize respect, confidentiality within appropriate limits, accountability, and looking out for one another. But safety is more than what happens during a meeting. It is about helping people recognize unsafe situations, communicate concerns, establish healthy boundaries, and understand that they deserve to be treated with dignity.

For transgender women of color and other LGBTQIA+ people who may feel especially vulnerable, having a community that recognizes their humanity can make a tremendous difference. We cannot pretend that a meeting eliminates every danger inside prison. What we can do is build a culture where people are not made to feel invisible or alone. BTC gives our members a place to find their voices, develop their confidence, and understand that their lives still have value. We may be behind walls, but our identities, dreams, and humanity do not disappear behind those walls.

3. Concrete Impact & Lifeline Programs

Keith: BTC runs an incredible array of programming—from the Lifers Club and one-on-one counseling to relationship classes and safety teams. What stands out to you as proof of why this community is essential?

Varia: What stands out to me most is the transformation that can happen when someone begins to believe in themselves again. Sometimes people come into our community carrying years of rejection, disappointment, trauma, or the belief that their future has already been decided for them.

Through BTC, we work to show our members that their circumstances do not have to define the people they become. Our Lifers Club creates opportunities for people serving long sentences to talk about purpose, personal growth, and how they can continue making a difference. Our relationship classes encourage healthier communication and boundaries, while our safety initiatives reinforce the importance of looking out for one another and making responsible choices.

One of the most meaningful things is seeing people begin to take responsibility for their actions, support their peers, and recognize that they still have something positive to contribute. That is the impact I want BTC to have. We are working to build leadership, accountability, confidence, and a sense of belonging. When someone who once felt forgotten begins encouraging another person, standing up for their community, or choosing to handle a difficult situation differently, that matters. We cannot change every circumstance surrounding our members, but we can help create opportunities for change within them.

4. The Outside Disconnect: Challenging Southern Isolation

Keith: Your recent article carries the powerful headline, “Prisons Crush Almost All LGBTQ+ Organizing. Our Community Survives.” What is the biggest misconception the broader queer community on the outside has about incarcerated LGBTQ+ siblings, especially in the South?

Varia: One of the biggest misconceptions is that when LGBTQIA+ people become incarcerated, they stop being part of the community or somehow become less deserving of support, dignity, and advocacy. We are still LGBTQIA+ people. We still have identities, dreams, talents, experiences, and the desire to live meaningful lives. Being incarcerated does not erase our humanity, and it should not erase our place in the broader queer community.

In the South, stigma and isolation can make it especially difficult for incarcerated LGBTQIA+ people to have their voices heard. People on the outside may assume that organizing is impossible behind prison walls, or they may believe that incarcerated people have nothing positive to contribute. BTC challenges those assumptions by demonstrating that community, leadership, education, and personal growth can exist even in a restrictive environment.

Supporting incarcerated people does not mean excusing every mistake they have made. We can believe in accountability while also believing in human dignity, rehabilitation, and the possibility of change. Our incarcerated siblings should not disappear from the conversation simply because they are behind walls. We need solidarity that reaches beyond social media posts and pride celebrations. We need people who are willing to listen to our experiences, amplify our voices, challenge harmful assumptions, and help ensure that LGBTQIA+ people inside are not forgotten.

5. Tangible Support & Outside Solidarity

Keith: For people reading this on The Queer Route who want to stand in real solidarity with BTC, what are the most immediate, impactful ways they can support your leadership and your members today?

Varia: The first thing I would ask is that people listen to us, learn about our work, and recognize that incarcerated LGBTQIA+ people deserve a voice in the conversations that affect our lives. Visibility matters: when you share BTC’s mission and story, you help challenge the misconception that meaningful LGBTQIA+ organizing cannot happen inside a correctional facility.

State Ambassadors & Volunteers: We need volunteers and ambassadors who believe in our mission and are willing to represent BTC in their states, help distribute approved educational materials, build relationships with community organizations, and connect us with people who can support our programs.

Organizational Collaborations: We welcome opportunities to collaborate with LGBTQIA+ organizations, educators, advocates, writers, and community leaders who can help us expand our reach and strengthen our programming as we work through obtaining our 501(c)(3) status.

Policy Advocacy: Advocate for policies and practices that protect incarcerated LGBTQIA+ individuals from discrimination, harassment, and violence, while promoting education, rehabilitation, and meaningful opportunities for personal development.

Most importantly, BTC is not asking the outside world to speak over us. We want opportunities to speak for ourselves, participate in decisions affecting our community, and build partnerships that respect our leadership. Our incarceration may restrict our movement, but it does not erase our ability to lead, inspire, and make a difference.

A Closing Word from Varia

“I want people to remember that incarceration does not erase a person's humanity, identity, or potential. I founded BTC — Be The Change — because I believe that change is possible even in places where hope can be difficult to find.

We are building community, encouraging accountability, creating opportunities for leadership, and reminding LGBTQIA+ people behind prison walls that they are not forgotten. My hope is that BTC will continue opening doors, creating connections, and inspiring others to recognize that meaningful change can begin anywhere.

You do not have to wait until you are free to start making a difference. Sometimes, the most powerful change begins right where you are.

That is what Be The Change means to me.”

To learn more about verified safe spaces, spatial advocacy, and intentional queer community building nationwide, visit queerroute.app.