The internet has been up in arms after transgender YouTuber and influencer, Nikita Dragun faced jail time.
Getting locked up wasn’t the point of heat, but rather that she’d reportedly been thrown into a men’s prison—despite being female.
Dragun was allegedly locked up for disorderly behaviour at The Goodtime Hotel in Miami. It is speculated that the hotel staff reported a disorderly-acting guest parading naked by the pool causing a disturbance. ‘The guest’ later threw water at a policeman when police arrived at the scene, according to reports.
Dragun, who is 26 years old, is believed to be charged with felony battery on a police officer. According to Hussein and Webber felony battery is defined as “the defendant intentionally touches or strikes a police officer/law enforcement officer against his or her will or causes bodily harm.” Dragun was then later released from prison on Wednesday last week.
Image – Miami Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation
However, the internet’s bone to pick regarded her reported placement in a men’s prison.
Here’s what some Twitter users had to say:
Remarkable that Nikita Dragun was arrested for the “public indecency” of being topless in public – something which only applies to women; and then she was put in a men’s prison because she is trans, despite the fact she is legally a woman.
— 𝕾𝖙𝖞𝖌𝖎𝖆𝖓 (@stygian_dweller) November 9, 2022
Nikita Dragun is being kept in a men’s unit after being arrested in Florida. While she’s most likely in protective custody, it’s concerning that Florida jails have such poor protocols to deal with trans folks. Also the judge’s lack of empathy is outrageous https://t.co/mDiR6p3nuT
— Def Noodles (@defnoodles) November 9, 2022
The police station where she was held released a statement, per Daily Mail UK, expressing that the star ‘never made it beyond the bookings process’ at the unit, while voicing its commitment to ‘protecting the rights of the transgender community.
NPR shared that “Dragun’s arrest and incarceration in a men’s unit are notable given her stature, but it’s a common occurrence for many trans individuals incarcerated in the United States.”
It was later reported that she was kept in a holding cell by herself because of her popularity status and was assisted at the police station by an officer that is a part of the LGBTQ community.
Many people out there have their own opinion on the situation from the place of transgender rights. A general consensus does, however, lean toward the fact that above everything else, a legal woman should be treated as such.
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Featured image: @nikitadragun/Instagram
