Fired Employee Files Federal Lawsuit Claiming Employment Discrimination

[CLEVELAND, OH] - Susan Myers, who was fired from her job at the Cuyahoga County Human Services Department, sued her former bosses yesterday, claiming that they discriminated against her because she was a transsexual.

Myers claims in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court that she had no problems working in the department for 16 years. In 2000, a colleague became her supervisor and often found fault with her work and called her a "he/she."

Myers also claims that she was discriminated against because she was a white woman and her bosses were Hispanic.

Myers, who now lives in Chillicothe, underwent gender transition in the 1970s. She was fired in April 2000 from her job helping low-income residents acquire benefits.

Myers also sued the county commissioners and asked for back pay and benefits. A spokesman for the county prosecutor's office, which represents county offices, declined to comment.