In a lawsuit against the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Coretta Simo Love Monk, a transgender woman, alleges she was misgendered and subjected to dangerous conditions while in their custody.
Despite her legal identification stating she was female and her having lived as a woman for years, Monk was housed with male detainees and forced to shower with them after her arrest in September 2023. According to her attorney, this was the second time she had been improperly placed in a men’s facility.
The lawsuit, which is currently in the Superior Court of California, claims that the department violated Monk’s right to safe housing as guaranteed by law.
Court documents allege that the situation was so “degrading and humiliating” that Monk skipped showering for months and, in a state of despair, attempted suicide by trying to drown herself in a toilet while at the Twin Towers mental health jail.
The case raises serious questions about how Los Angeles County—which is often considered a national leader in transgender policy—adheres to its own regulations regarding the safe and respectful detention of transgender individuals.
While the department has stated that it takes all allegations of discrimination seriously and is committed to upholding the safety and dignity of all individuals, the lawsuit asserts that in Monk’s case, they were aware of her vulnerabilities yet failed to properly house her.
The case is set for trial in May and seeks unspecified damages.
