Date: Fri, 14 Jan 1994 20:19:33 PST
From: julie@drycas.club.cc.cmu.edu
Subject: U.S. court to hear argument on prison rape of transsexual

WASHINGTON (UPI) -- The Supreme Court will hear argument Wednesday on
whether federal officials can be sued for putting a preoperative
transsexual into the male prison population, where the transsexual was
raped.

A lower court said the prison officials did not act recklessly.

Dee Farmer, now 27, was sentenced to 20 years in prison 1986 for a
complicated credit card fraud. Farmer prefers to be called "she."

Farmer underwent estrogen therapy at 14, then received silicone breast
implants.

Though she kept male sex organs, Farmer had the appearance of a woman
for five years before she was imprisoned. While in prison she has
continued to take hormone pills, and continues to have the appearance of
a woman.

The alleged rape occurred at the maximum security U.S. Penitentiary in
Terre Haute, Indiana, where Farmer was transferred after disciplinary
problems.