Nikita Dragun was placed in a men's cell after being arrested on Monday night - a decision the transgender blogger's representative finds abhorrent.
Dragun, who is a transgender woman (meaning she was born male and then began transitioning to become female and identifies as a woman) is a household name in the beauty industry with over 27 million followers on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
She was arrested after she was caught walking naked in a Miami hotel pool and threw water at hotel staff and police officers.
"The situation with Nikita, who is legally female, being held in a men's prison in Florida is extremely disturbing and dangerous," Jack Ketsoyan said in a statement to Page Six.
"This decision directly violates the protocol, which mandates that transgender prisoners be classified and placed in cells based on security needs and gender identity."
The YouTuber — whose real name is Nikita Nguyen — "has been released and is now safe," her rep revealed, also adding, "Thank you for respecting her privacy during this time."
The police testimony declares Dragu as male. When referring to herself online, Dragun has used the pronouns "she/her" since the transition began in 2015. Most US prisons have a policy of segregating inmates by their gender, as assigned at birth or by genitalia (eg post-surgery transgender women are housed in women's prisons), regardless of their appearance or gender identity.
In which prison should a transgender woman be placed (that is, she was born male and then began the transition to become female):
