Deena Kaye Myers was born in Virginia wih a birth defect so severe that males with the condition were often surgically altered to females, which happened to her. In 1982, a birth certificate was filed recording her sex as female. Now, says the Richmond Times-Dispatch, she is serving a 15-year sentence for 11 felony convictions but in a facility with 96 male inmates.
The Virginia Department of Corrections, citing restrictions on commenting about inmate medical issues, will not answer questions about Myers, 28, who is under 5 feet tall, and whose disabilities include club feet. She uses a wheelchair. Prison system spokesman Larry Traylor said that in general terms, “We strive to balance the inmate’s needs while at the same time securing the overall safety of the prison environment. We also make sure we are following all proven and proper standards of treatment.”