BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts corrections officials say a transgender inmate should remain at a men’s prison because transfer to a women’s prison may cause problems.
The transgender woman has filed a federal lawsuit seeking a transfer. It says she was told she could be sent to a women’s prison only if she had gender reassignment surgery.
At a hearing Wednesday, prison officials said they have made reasonable accommodations for her at the men’s prison in Norfolk, including hormone therapy, mental health counseling, an individual cell and a separate shower.
The Boston Globe <a target=”—blank” href=”http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/02/28/transgender/2kM1yO1LXrk0idc87f4pgN/story.html”>reports</a> that the woman submitted a statement saying she is in “constant fear” of being raped or harassed.
The inmate lived as a woman for decades before being imprisoned. She is serving a three- to four-year sentence for a nonviolent drug offense.