NOT OKAY

Trans Inmate Incarcerated in North Carolina Prison Denied Transfer to Women’s Prison

Kanautica Zayre-Brown, who has undergone sex reassignment surgery, said she fears being assaulted by male inmates.

A transgender woman incarcerated in North Carolina has been repeatedly denied a transfer to a woman’s prison despite her fears of sexual assault from male inmates, according to a Thursday report from NBC News. Kanautica Zayre-Brown, 37, who faces a nine-year sentence for insurance fraud, is reportedly the state’s only transgender inmate who has undergone sex reassignment surgery. NBC notes that although she’s repeatedly expressed fears of being sexually assaulted, she’s still forced to shower around male inmates. The state also refers to her by her birth name, despite the fact that it has been legally changed. A spokesman for the Department of Public Safety told NBC that Zayre-Brown’s case is under review.