Death from silicone injections reveals underground practice

ALBANY, Ga. — Nikkia Scott and other drag queens have been getting illegal, backroom injections of industrial-grade silicone to give themselves some of the things nature denied them when they were born male — breasts, wider hips, more prominent cheekbones.

They know the risks are extreme, and still they do it.

"Anything you put in your body that don't belong there will hurt you in the long run," Scott said of her $6,000 worth of injections. "But believe me, it has been worth it. It has been worth it."

The dangers were illustrated recently by the death of Andre Jeter, 23, who authorities say suffered convulsions and fell unconscious Dec. 10 after receiving injections in his hips and buttocks during a "pumping party" in Albany. He died a month later.

One of Scott's roommates, Stephen Oneal Thomas, 31, was charged last week with murder and other offenses for allegedly administering the injections. Thomas' lawyer refused to comment.

Scott and three others were also arrested in the case and charged with conspiracy and practicing medicine without a license. They were accused, among other things, of helping Thomas by recruiting patients at drag-queen beauty pageants.

The victim was a man living as a woman, as are all four defendants.

The death has thrown a spotlight on "pumping," a thriving underground practice among men living as women, particularly those who compete in beauty pageants and perform in drag shows. Pumping parties are typically held in motel rooms or apartments.

While medical-grade silicone is implanted under the skin in sealed sacs to keep it from leaking, pumping involves injecting silicone straight into the body.

And the silicone used is the stuff sold in hardware stores as a sealant. It is not sterile and can cause infections, particularly in the lungs.

The silicone is often mixed with paraffin, oil, even peanut butter, said Dallas Denny of the transgender support group Gender Education & Advocacy. In Jeter's case, it was probably mixed with baby oil, based on how it smelled to others who received the injections, said James Paulk, an investigator for the district attorney.

The scope of the phenomenon is unclear. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and transgender groups said they do not keep track of the problem. But Paulk said a "slew" of people have been injured, including three or four in Montgomery, Ala., six or seven in Columbus, Ga., and a few in Jacksonville, Fla.

"The transgender society is a very tight-knit society. They don't like to give each other up because if you do, you get barred from the pageants," Paulk said. "If they're not hurting and they're not experiencing medical problems, they aren't calling me."

A day after his arrest, a stubble-faced Scott, wearing large hoop earrings, was back to gluing weaves to heads at a beauty parlor in Albany, 150 miles south of Atlanta. His roommate, Jazz, also arrested in the case, was at home, wearing pajamas and pink flowered flip-flops.

Jazz and Scott compete in drag shows during "black society" nights at a bar called Queens in Albany. They dress in gowns and rhinestones and perform songs for tips.

They both denied any involvement in giving silicone injections and said they did not know their roommate, Thomas, was "pumping."

Scott, identified as Freddie Clyde in court documents, said his silicone injections have not caused any serious health problems. But Jazz, whose legal name is Mark Edwards, said he has had three procedures — face, bust and lower body — that cost him about $3,300, and has suffered severe side effects.

Last year, he said, he started coughing heavily and discovered that the silicone had gotten into his lungs, giving him chemical pneumonia. He spent two months in the hospital and several more months on bed rest, and his weight dropped from 270 to 150.

He also lifted up his T-shirt to show the scar under one breast where doctors went in to remove a hardened clump of silicone.

Despite his own health problems, Jazz said he has nothing against the person who gave him the injections.

"I don't want to prosecute her, I want to thank her. I'm the one who wanted the work. She did nothing wrong but what I wanted."