A former county corrections officer in Mississippi is suing her employer, alleging that she was fired because she is transgender.
Elise Hebert, a prison guard in Chickasaw County, is seeking back wages and damages for sexual harassment that she claims she was subjected to while on the job.
In her lawsuit, Hebert claims that she was harassed after her fellow officers at the county jail learned of her gender identity, reports NBC affiliate WTVA.
After being hired, Hebert claims that Brand Huffman, the warden, confronted her and asked about her past. He pulled her into an office with George Dallas, the chief of security at the prison, making Hebert feel embarrassed, offended, and uncomfortable at being the only female in the room.
Hebert asked that her transgender status be kept confidential, but it became apparent that her gender identity was not only widely known, but was being discussed among her co-workers and even some inmates.
Hebert claims she was subjected to derogatory and humiliating statements concerning her sexuality and gender at work, was never paid on time, leaving her at times without enough money to fill her gas tank so she could get to work, and was targeted by other officers and superiors, who lodged complaints about her behavior on the job, even though it was no different from that of her male co-workers.
She claims she was targeted because her behavior did not conform to stereotypes about how women are supposed to behave — which would be considered a form of sex-based discrimination.
Hebert says she complained to her superiors, as well as to Sheriff James Meyers, about her treatment, but no action was ever taken. Due to the complaints against her, she was eventually fired.
Hebert’s attorney, Lisa Bennett, told WTVA she has not received a response from the county in reaction to the lawsuit. The county has by Nov. 30 to respond.
A city council member for a U.S.-Mexico border town was overwhelmingly voted out of office in a recall election after she came out as transgender.
Calexico Council Member and former Mayor Raúl Ureña -- who uses all pronouns but prefers "she" -- was first elected to the city council in 2020, at age 23.
She was hailed in recent years as a progressive hero challenging the political status quo in the town of about 38,000, located in California, just across the border from Mexicali, Mexico.
In 2020, Ureña had succeeded former Council Member David Romero, who went to federal prison after being convicted in a bribery scandal.
A Milwaukee school principal has been sued in federal court by a gay couple who allege he bullied, harassed, threatened, and assaulted their son for having two same-sex parents, violating the child's civil rights in the process.
The parents, referred to as M.P. and T.L. in the lawsuit, claim that Kasongo Kalumbula allegedly mistreated their son because of his family's makeup.
The lawsuit, filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, asks for a jury trial and seeks an undetermined amount in damages.
It alleges that Kalumbula, who served as the assistant principal, and later, acting principal, of the Milwaukee French Immersion School from September 2018 to October 2021, physically and verbally abused the child -- who was in first grade when the harassment started -- and routinely singled him out for discipline.
Sacramento, California, has been designated a "sanctuary city" for transgender individuals.
Last week, the Sacramento City Council approved a resolution ensuring that city resources -- including law enforcement resources -- are not used to aid in out-of-state prosecutions of people who come to California seeking out gender-affirming mental health care, hormone therapy, or surgery.
The resolution prohibits city funds from being used to cooperate with any individuals or out-of-state agencies who are investigating people for pursuing treatments that are legal in California.
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A former county corrections officer in Mississippi is suing her employer, alleging that she was fired because she is transgender.
Elise Hebert, a prison guard in Chickasaw County, is seeking back wages and damages for sexual harassment that she claims she was subjected to while on the job.
In her lawsuit, Hebert claims that she was harassed after her fellow officers at the county jail learned of her gender identity, reports NBC affiliate WTVA.
After being hired, Hebert claims that Brand Huffman, the warden, confronted her and asked about her past. He pulled her into an office with George Dallas, the chief of security at the prison, making Hebert feel embarrassed, offended, and uncomfortable at being the only female in the room.
Hebert asked that her transgender status be kept confidential, but it became apparent that her gender identity was not only widely known, but was being discussed among her co-workers and even some inmates.
Hebert claims she was subjected to derogatory and humiliating statements concerning her sexuality and gender at work, was never paid on time, leaving her at times without enough money to fill her gas tank so she could get to work, and was targeted by other officers and superiors, who lodged complaints about her behavior on the job, even though it was no different from that of her male co-workers.
She claims she was targeted because her behavior did not conform to stereotypes about how women are supposed to behave — which would be considered a form of sex-based discrimination.
Hebert says she complained to her superiors, as well as to Sheriff James Meyers, about her treatment, but no action was ever taken. Due to the complaints against her, she was eventually fired.
Hebert’s attorney, Lisa Bennett, told WTVA she has not received a response from the county in reaction to the lawsuit. The county has by Nov. 30 to respond.
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