News Item

Transgender cop gets $90K bias settlement


SUMMARY: A transgender police officer in Vermont who claimed he was forced out of his job due to bias received a $90,000 settlement ruling from the state attorney general on Thursday.



A transgender police officer in Vermont who claimed he was forced out of his job due to bias received a $90,000 settlement ruling from the state attorney general on Thursday.

Anthony Barreto-Neto joined the Hardwick police department in April 2002. Shortly thereafter fellow officers discovered from a Web site that he is a transsexual, and they harassed him repeatedly. According to Reuters news service, Barreto-Neto left the force in August 2002.

Barreto-Neto filed a complaint with the Office of the Attorney General last year. After an investigation, the attorney general found probable cause that the town of Hardwick illegally fired Barreto-Neto because he was transgender.

In issuing the ruling, the attorney general cited testimony from a former police chief, Gregory Rambo, who said a town official directed him to make Barreto-Neto so uncomfortable that he would leave the force.

Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), which represented Barreto-Neto, hailed the ruling.

"This is a ground-breaking decision for transgender people who have historically been excluded from many civil rights protections and continue to experience pervasive discrimination," said GLAD's Jennifer Levi.

According to Reuters, the town issued a statement saying it did not discriminate but settled anyway to avoid time and cost of litigation.

Barreto-Neto still lives in Vermont and has not been able to find work as a police officer.

"I filed this case because I knew that transgender people like myself face discrimination in many aspects of our lives due to irrational fears and prejudices of others," he said in a prepared statement. "I hope this decision means that employers create a better understanding of transgender people in their workplaces."