Gay Men's Buddhist Prison Network (GMBPN)

This group is co-sponsored by the Gay Buddhist Sangha and the Gay Buddhist Fellowship of San Francisco and is an extension of the Prison Outreach Program of the San Francisco Zen Center.

Currently about 50 members (corresponding with about 75 inmates) comprise the network of practicing Buddhists who provide support for gay and lesbian inmates interested in beginning or deepening a Buddhist practice while incarcerated. We provide this support through regular correspondence and encouragement, books and literature, and referrals to other resources.

We also act as a network to support each other as we write to those in prison. We recognize that such correspondence presents its own set of challenges and that there are precautions to be taken that benefit both parties and also foster a helpful, trusting and rewarding pen-pal relationship. We provide guidelines, sample letters, helpful references and reprints of material that can be forwarded to inmate penpals.

We are of various schools and traditions in Buddhism, have different practices, and we are by no means teachers, spiritual leaders or scholars. We are simply friends of the Dharma (the teaching, the way of living the path of the Buddha) who believe that those on the inside and the outside of the walls can benefit from each other's practice as we correspond (co-respond). We all have our "prison walls" and we are all connected.

Why is this needed? We recognize the special challenges and hardships that exist for anyone in prison wishing to pursue a spiritual practice, and realize that gay men in prison face additional challenges and safety risks, making their spiritual practice all the more important, yet more difficult. We are the first network of penpals exclusively for gay prisoners.

While we are a group of 'penpals', our emphasis is on one's Buddhist (spiritual) practice. We do not develop romantic relationships with penpals, exchange photos, or provide money or other favors (give or take) to help inmates get around the restrictions under which they live.

Our wish is that all beings will know happiness, and the causes and conditions of happiness; that all beings will be safe from harm, be healthy, be peaceful, and be loved.

We are currently in need of volunteers! For more information or to volunteer (by requesting to join), please visit our Yahoo Group at GMBPN.