News

Transgender inmate sues; seeks transfer to female prison

Posted May 14, 2019 7:00 am

The Associated Press

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) - A transgender prisoner is suing Illinois' Department of Corrections, accusing it of doing too little to protect her from abuse for over 15 years and requesting an order transferring her to a women's prison.

Lawyers for the MacArthur Justice Center and Uptown People's Law Center filed the 24-page lawsuit Tuesday in southern Illinois on behalf of the prisoner referred to her by a pseudonym, "Tay Tay." She's serving a sentence for armed robbery.

Plaintiff lawyer Sheila Bedi says Tay Tay faced assaults and constant taunts because of what Bedi calls "the IDOC's systemic failure" to keep transgender inmates safe. The filing says a cellmate once raped Tay Tay.

IDOC didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

A similar lawsuit led to a rare transfer of transgender prisoner Strawberry Hampton to a women's prison last year.

Article Comments

Article Categories
Content Providers Illinois News Region

Article Comments

Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.