Trending Topics

NC transgender inmate moved to women’s prison

The move comes after months of review by prison officials and the threat of a lawsuit

Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina officials have transferred a transgender inmate to a women’s prison.

News outlets report the state Department of Public Safety announced Thursday that Kanautica Zayre-Brown was moved to Anson Correctional Institution in Polkton. The move comes after months of review by prison officials and the threat of a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The state had classified Zayre-Brown as a man and placed her in a men’s prison, where she said she constantly feared assault. The state still lists her by her birth name, Kevin Chestnut, but she is believed to be the state’s only post-operative transgender prisoner.

Zayre-Brown has been serving a sentence of up to nearly 10 years since 2017 after being convicted as a habitual offender on insurance fraud charges.

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU