A transgender woman is suing the Coloradoâs corrections agency for discrimination against her after she claimed to have been raped by male inmates she was placed in the same prison with.
The 20-year-old woman was imprisoned last spring for violating her plea deal in a menacing case.
Though her lawyers made efforts at the time of her sentencing to ensure she was placed in femalesâ prison, the federal court judge reportedly refused to recognise her current gender.
As the court turned down her request, she was then caged with male inmates.
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Having experienced consistent sexual and physical assaults in the prison at the hands of sex hungry male prisoners, Lindsay Saunders-Velez described the Colorado prison as âdiscriminatory and dangerousâ for transgender offenders.
Her attorney, Paula Greisen has vowed to ensure she gets justice. She is quoted as saying: âThis issue is not going to go away. Weâre going to fight it until these individuals are treated with the respect they deserve.â
As to how she became a female instead of her original male status, Lindsay Saunders-Velez said she âhas been out as a trans female since age 4â.
Reports say she was diagnosed with gender dysphoria in 2016 while in the youth corrections system.
She began hormone treatments in 2017 and soon developed a âfeminine shape,â according to time.com.