Re “Transgender woman fights to get out of all-male prison” (Metro, March 1): Appalling. Infuriating. Heartbreaking. These are words that describe the tragic story of a transgender inmate who is suffering because Massachusetts correctional officials refuse to grant a transfer to a female facility.

The inmate has lived as a woman for 40 years, and yet she remains incarcerated in a men’s prison, where she says she has endured public strip searches, groping by male guards and inmates, and ongoing humiliation and harassment. Sentenced to a four-year term for a nonviolent drug offense, the inmate has filed a lawsuit accusing the state of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and her constitutional right to equal protection from discrimination.