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Nikita Dragun’s representative has confirmed that she was released from jail on Wednesday. The influencer was put behind bars after causing disturbances at The Goodtime Hotel in South Beach.
Nikita Dragun, who is transgender and goes by the she/her pronouns, was charged with felony battery against a police officer, misdemeanor disorderly conduct and misdemeanor battery.
After news of her arrest made headlines online, it was revealed that Dragun was placed in a men’s jail in Miami. The Miami-Dade County Corrections Department stated in a document that Dragun:
“appears as a female but would like to be recognized as a male.”
The document also identified Dragun as a male and that she uses the “he” and “him” pronouns.
Nikita Dragun was placed at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and was listed as a male in her inmate profile as well.
Nikita Dragun’s rep slams correctional facility for misgendering the YouTuber
Following the 26-year old’s release, Nikita Dragun’s public relations representative released a statement firing at the Miami-Dade County Corrections Department for misgendering the YouTuber. Speaking about Dragun being placed in a men’s unit, Jack Ketsoyan of Full Scope Public Relations said:
“The situation with Nikita, who is legally female, being placed in a men’s unit of a Florida jail is extremely disturbing and dangerous.”
Ketsoyan also noted their actions:
“directly violates their protocol, which mandates that transgender inmates are classified and housed based on safety needs and gender identity. Nikita has been released and is now safe. Thank you for respecting her privacy during this time.”
For those unversed, the social media content creator has been using the she and her pronouns since the start of her transition in 2015.
What did Nikita Dragun do?
The makeup guru was arrested on Monday afternoon after hotel security told police officers that Dragun had been “causing a disturbance for a long period of time.” They also noted that the influencer was “walking around the pool area "unclothed.”
Sources also claimed that the internet personality was blasting music loudly from her room. After opening the door, she reportedly got into a brief back-and-forth verbal exchange with security and police officers. She then resorted to swinging around a bottle of water that ended up hitting the security professionals.
In the police report, Dragun was described as an “Asian female” who uses he and him pronouns.
Video footage of Dragun asking a judge whether she has to stay in the men’s unit has appeared online. She can be seen wearing an orange jumpsuit and looking into the camera to speak to the judge. In response, the judge stated that she did not “make the rules up there.”
According to a NBC News investigation done in 2020, many transgender people are jailed according to their sex assigned at birth which puts them at risk of abuse, s*xual assault and rape.
Nikita Dragun was released on recognizance, which would mean that she would not have to post bail. Her arraignment is scheduled to take place in Miami on December 7.
