On the outside, most discussions about incarceration and sexual desire are limited to exploitative “reality” shows, violent movies and terrible jokes about homosexuality and prison rape. But like all humans, we deserve some semblance of dignity.

Felix Sitthivong, who is serving 65 years in a Washington prison, recently testified before the state’s House Public Safety Committee in support of a bill that could decrease his time. “They can stall our bills,” he writes of the “disappointing” outcome, “but they can never stall our dedication.”

Bobby Bostic was sentenced to 241 years at age 16. Gardening, he writes, keeps him growing.

“We leaned on each other. We found reasons to laugh while in agony.”

“With my new lease on life, I still remember the one I took.”