Does the NYPD Have an Endemic Problem With Trans People?

A transgender woman tells Gawker that after she was arrested for a minor violation this month, New York City police officers berated her and left her cuffed to a wall for 28 hours.

Temmie Breslauer is suing the New York Police Department for assault, battery, false imprisonment, and violation of her civil rights. After being arrested for using a subway card that wasn't hers, she says, she was hauled into a station, called names like "He-She" and "Lady Gaga" and attached to a fence that kept her arm raised in an uncomfortable position for over a day. The NYPD didn't respond to Gawker's request for comment.

There are numerous accusations that the NYPD routinely mistreats transgender detainees. Justin Adkins, a transgender man, was arrested at the Brooklyn Bridge while protesting with Occupy Wall Street in October. When he was brought to a station, he says, he was chained to a wall for eight hours.

Transgender advocates pushed for changes within the department in 2009, specifically calling for an end to invasive searches and the placement of transgender women among male prisoners. Read the full story here.