This story was originally reported by Kate Sosin of The 19th . Meet Kate and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy .

Coretta Simo Love Monk’s California ID said she was female. She had been living as a woman for years. She had breasts. When she was arrested in September 2023, she asked jail guards to place her with other women. But the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department jailed her with men and forced her to shower with them. In custody, she attempted suicide.

That is according to a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department working its way through Superior Court of California, alleging that the department violated Monk’s right to safe housing. The case is set for trial in May.

Monk is a transgender woman. Her case raises serious

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