Trans Woman Sexually Assaulted, Harassed In Baltimore Jail: Lawsuit

BALTIMORE, MD — A transgender Maryland woman claims she was sexually assaulted, harassed and housed with male inmates while incarcerated at two Baltimore correctional facilities, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court Tuesday.

Chelsea Gilliam is suing the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services and several other organizations and individuals after she was booked into the Baltimore City Correctional Center in December 2021 while awaiting trial on an assault charge, according to court documents.

While there, Gilliam said she was housed in an all-male dormitory despite identifying and living as a woman since 2003, the lawsuit states. While there, Gilliam said she was sexually assaulted while showering with another male inmate, according to court documents.

The lawsuit claims jail staff took no action after Gilliam reported the assault.

Gilliam was later transferred to Maryland Reception, Diagnostic and Classification Center, where she was held in solitary confinement for three months "because of her gender identity," the lawsuit states.

Gilliam also claims she was "consistently misgendered" by staff, called by her former male name, and blocked from receiving hormone treatments, according to the lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, Gilliam's attorneys claim her treatment violated the 14th Amendment prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. It also accuses the defendants of gross negligence and violating the Americans With Disabilities Act.

"(The) Defendants' conduct was extreme, outrageous, and beyond the bounds of decency

in society," the lawsuit reads. "As a result of the aforesaid conduct, Ms. Gilliam has suffered, and continues to suffer, from severe and extreme emotional distress."

At a news conference livestreamed by CBS Baltimore on Tuesday, Gilliam said she filed the lawsuit because she doesn't want other trans women to suffer the same experience.

"I would say I was treated like an animal, but it was worse than that," Gilliam said.

The lawsuit asks the court to order the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services to provide "adequate and necessary medical care" to transgender inmates, house inmates with gender dysphoria according to their gender identity, and adequately train staff to "ensure the safe and dignified treatment of inmates with gender dysphoria."

According to the lawsuit, Gilliam is seeking an unspecified amount in compensatory and punitive damages.