ELYRIA, Ohio — When a convicted thief called himself Lemont Fullers and told his jailers he is a man, hardly anyone believed him.

        Lorain County jail officials say the inmate is Carla Brenner, 42, of Chicago, who was convicted as a woman.

        The inmate has been separated from other Lorain County prisoners since the confusion about gender arose last week. The inmate has used more than 50 aliases — some male, most female — and has served time in 11 states for crimes such as theft and forgery.

        In jail, every inmate must be classified according to gender. Jails need such order to function, said JoEllen Culp, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

        But some people with gender issues end up in prison. If such people do not accept their lifestyle, that can lead to lost jobs, unemployment and finally crime, said Denise LeClair, of the International Foundation for Gender Education.

        Janet Dixon, the Lorain County inmate's great-aunt in Mississippi, said the inmate was born Lemont Fullers, but by his early teens was “different.”

        Doctors in Lorain County examined him after a cellmate complained. Jailers would not discuss specifics because of privacy laws, but they said Mr. Fullers has no female reproductive organs.

        Mr. Fullers maintains that he is a gay male with female tendencies.

        “I am in touch with who I am in jail,” he said. “I'm male. Men should be put with men....Look, maybe I have some identity issues.”

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