A female impersonator has launched a $20 million lawsuit for damages after he was jailed in a prison for women.
Carla Brenner said his life became a living hell once the other prisoners realized he was a man.
The 52-year-old drag queen said he was assaulted and abused by the other prisoners when they realized he had still had male anatomy.
Despite dressing like a woman Brenner maintains that he was still a man and has not undergone a sex change.
He claims he was examined by two sets of doctors – but because he looked like a woman was sent to a female facility.
‘The big hair, the makeup – I am an entertainer, a drag queen,’ he said.
‘That basically means a man who enjoys dressing as a woman. It’s not a woman. I have no intention on being a woman – never, ever have.’
Brenner’s problems began when he was convicted of felony theft in 2011 and jailed for three months in Nashville, Tennessee.
Brenner said he was examined by the Metro Health Department in Nashville and he said it was obvious that he was a man.
‘How can you not tell a vagina from a penis? They had two doctors – someone from the board of health and a Metro administrator come to the jail.
Carla Brenner, pictured in drag, filed a lawsuit against Metro Health Department in Nashville for placing him in a female prison even though he is a man.
‘And they had me get on the table and examined me and everything. They also said I was female. I don’t understand that,’ Brenner said.
Brenner, who is also known as Lamonda Fuller, claimed officials deliberately said he was a woman.
He claims in his lawsuit that when he complained he was threatened with being locked in solitary confinement.
After being sent to the female prison run by the Corrections Corporation of America he said he was abused by the other women.
‘I was strip searched, completely naked, with the women. I was showered with the women. I was sexually assaulted on two separate occasions in the shower by women,’ said Brenner.
Brenner claimed his stay for several months was so traumatic he contemplated suicide.
‘I survived it through the grace of God, because it was hell. I had contemplated suicide. It was horrible,’ Brenner said.
His lawyer, Jim Roberts, claimed authorities deliberately placed him in the female prison.
‘Metro’s decision was, “let’s do it the easy way. She looks female on the outside. We will lie to everybody and say she’s a female,” even though they knew she was a male the entire time,’ Roberts said.
‘When Metro takes shortcuts like that people get hurt, people get killed and people’s rights get violated,’ Roberts said.
Officials with both CCA and Metro Health said they cannot comment on the lawsuit or even any medical information on a specific inmate.
‘Metro’s decision was, “let’s do it the easy way. She looks female on the outside. We will lie to everybody and say she’s a female,” even though they knew she was a male the entire time,’ Roberts said.
‘When Metro takes shortcuts like that people get hurt, people get killed and people’s rights get violated,’ Roberts said.
Officials with both CCA and Metro Health said they cannot comment on the lawsuit or even any medical information on a specific inmate.
