Most states separate prisoners by genitalia alone, so pre-op, transgender women are placed in men's correctional facilities, where they find themselves vulnerable and preyed upon. CRUEL AND UNUSUAL is a frank, often unsettling documentary, that portrays the challenges faced by these women.Ophelia, beautiful and bold, cuts herself when left alone in solitary confinement for an entire year. Yolanda, 21, has taken hormones since age 12; after surviving a childhood of poverty and drugs, she is raped by fellow inmates. Rough and tough Linda, imprisoned for stealing pantyhose, performs her own correctional surgery when the Idaho Correctional Facilities deny her request for drug therapy. Anna loses not only four years of hormone treatment but also custody of her only son when she is sent to prison for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The women's stories are interwoven with commentary by lawyers and prison custodians who discuss the problems transgender inmates face; chief among them is the authorities' complete refusal to recognize Gender Identity Disorder as a legitimate medical condition. Disturbing evidence suggests that thirty percent of all transgender people have been imprisoned —three times the national average. Eye-opening and caustic in its depiction of the blatant discrimination transgender people endure, this documentary will leave you with much to think about.