Inmate alleges transgender discrimination in federal lawsuit against Centre County jail
A transgender woman filed a federal lawsuit Friday against the Centre County Correctional Facility that alleged months of transphobic comments and actions from corrections officers.
Maurice Whyte accused several guards in the five-page lawsuit of refusing to use female pronouns, intentionally ignoring her food allergies and retaliating after she filed complaints.
Centre County Commissioner Mike Pipe declined to comment, saying the county does not discuss pending litigation. Warden Christopher Schell did not immediately respond.
At least one guard used a derogatory term to describe her gender, while meals “constantly have hair in them” and contain ingredients she is allergic to, Whyte wrote.
Whyte, 27, of Ohio, has been detained at the county jail since November. She was charged by State College police with one felony count each of burglary and retail theft, and one misdemeanor count of possession of an instrument of crime.
Whyte, who filed the lawsuit without an attorney, is seeking at least $250,000 and additional LGBTQ training for jail employees.
It is the first federal lawsuit filed against the jail since January 2019.