The State - News from Feb. 25, 1988

A transsexual former prison inmate has sued California officials for $27.5 million for allegedly forcing him to serve time with male prisoners while he was being treated as a female. Robert G. May, 34, who now uses the name Abigail, contends that he was forced to live with men at the California Medical Facility at Vacaville while he was required to wear female clothing. May, an ex-Marine corporal and Vietnam War veteran, was committed to the Vacaville prison in October, 1985, on a parole violation. He was classified as a female, the suit said, because he had “undergone partial sex reassignment surgery” that included castration and treatment with female hormones. May, who finished his prison term last week, suffered “physical, sexual and psychological abuse from the other male inmates and staff,” the Sacramento federal court suit said. The state Department of Corrections had no immediate comment.