A transgender
prison inmate who said she was raped by her cellmate has
lost her lawsuit against prison officials.
A superior court
jury on Thursday in San Francisco ruled in favor of
six Folsom State Prison workers whom Alexis Giraldo accused
of failing to protect her from being raped. The jury
deadlocked on a seventh prison worker.
Giraldo, 30, was
born a man but takes hormones to feminize her
appearance.
She had asked the
court to order prison officials to create a policy to
protect transgender inmates, who are currently housed with
the general population. But the court dismissed the
claim, saying Giraldo could not speak for other
inmates and was in no danger herself because she had
recently been paroled.
Giraldo was sent
to Folsom for shoplifting and a parole violation in
January 2006. She said prison guards ignored her complaints
and returned her to the cell to be attacked again.
State officials said Giraldo was in a consensual
sexual relationship with the cellmate and her lawsuit was
motivated by greed.
The Associated
Press has a policy of not naming people alleging sexual
assault. However, Giraldo has spoken out publicly and has
been identified by a transgender rights organization
that is advocating for her. (AP)