Body, Desires and Pleasures: Resistance of Trans* Women Imprisoned in a Male Prison in Mexico City

The Mexico City's Penitentiary shelters nearly 3,000 inmates, all categorized as "males", but around 20 detainees do not view themselves as so, but do as "females". The prison system is not only about disciplining and punishing subjects presumed or recognized as guilty, but it also involves constructing new subjects that correspond to gendered social norms. This paper analyzes the resistance from the trans* women as performing activities that face moral economies and the "prison dispositif of sexuality" (which the article tries to define), specifically through the observation of their body practices, desires and pleasures.