About 10 years ago the most impressive man I have ever met walked into my life. We walked alongside each other for many miles doing projects together while listening and absorbing each other’s stories. Mine was ordinary. His, on the other hand, was riveting! I heard about his childhood years of institutional incarceration as a ward of the state – because he was trans. Later in life he experienced horrendous workplace discrimination. I felt so deeply moved. We worked together to write and deliver training on inclusive care for trans and gender diverse people held in Victorian prisons. This led to countless trips into regional Victoria to visit different prisons and work with their staff. Ararat became a favourite spot where I felt a sense of belonging. It is a location where the pain of the past meets the current struggles of TGD people living through incarceration. There is a kind of healing here in the opportunity to make change now. It is becoming home, where past, present and future can live together in peace.