TJ In the News
July 21st, 2006 - The Nation
Even as the gates slammed shut and he stepped out into the roar of the main cellblock, T.J. Parsell was still in denial. He had landed in prison after a drunken prank with a toy gun netted him $50 and two and a half years. His older brother, who had served some brief jail time, had given him some advice: Look tough. Show no fear. Be a man.
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October 25th, 2006 - In Newsweekly
The out T.J. Parsell, president of Stop Prisoner Rape, in his recently released memoir, "FISH," (prison slang for a new inmate) reveals how not only did he have to learn how to survive while being sexually abused, but that it was happening at a time when he was discovering his own sexual preferences.
Read the full article HERE.
November 7th, 2006 - The Advocate
After holding up a Fotomat with a toy gun in 1978, T.J. Parsell was convicted of armed robbery and spent four years in Michigan’s correctional system. On the first day spent with the general prisoner population at Riverside Correctional Facility, Parsell was drugged by four inmates who then took turns raping him. He was 17 and just beginning to realize he was gay. After the assault the other prisoners flipped a coin to see who would “own” Parsell, whom they threatened to kill if he reported the incident to authorities.
Read the full article HERE
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