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A transgender manager in the City of Detroit finance department at city hall tells WXYZ's Ross Jones that she endured months of harassment and threats that her employer and police were slow to address. She also says police failed to thoroughly investigate.
"I love the city, I’m from the city," said the woman, not identified in the report. "But now it’s not about the work for me anymore. When I come to work, it’s about keeping myself safe."
It began when she transitioned from male to female, something that was supported by her bosses and folks all the way up the chain, including Mayor Mike Duggan. She completed the transition in December, and that's when the harassment began.
She found the nameplate outside her office door defaced: “Mr.” was scrolled over her name, Jones reports.
Days before Christmas someone placed on her desk a bag she assumed was a gift. Inside was a sex toy with a bible scripture that said a man who dresses like a woman is an abomination.
A handwritten note said: “You were born a man, no make-up or weave will change that. Even getting rid of your penis won’t. Stop shaming yourself. We don’t want people like you working here."
She asked for a lock on her office and security camera outside her office, but the city refused. Supervisors investigated, but did not solve the mystery.
Months later, she got another note: “If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."
Recently, the city put a lock on her door and security cameras, Jones reports. And police have now gotten more involved.
