Transgender Police Officer Still Fighting For Equality
Susan Campbell
12:55 p.m. EST, November 22, 2011
http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-campbell-peterson-1122-20111122,0,1614215.columnAll Dana Peterson wanted was to be a K-9 handler, a canine cop. Years ago, the Hartford police lieutenant began paying for animal training at her own expense. The list of conferences and classes she's attended runs for pages, and her training has put her in contact with every species — from chickens to beluga whales. Her dog training education, in particular, includes — but is not limited to — obedience, scent work, protection, attack training, tracking, tricks, and behaviorial problems.
She even had a dog she was willing to donate for police training.
But at every turn, Hartford police said no. Time and again, Peterson's attorney, Jamie L. Mills, says the department manipulated the selection criteria to exclude her from a certification course, all while some members of the force harassed her by leaving obscene drawings of male genitalia in public spaces, by referring to Peterson, who is transgendered, as "it." Before she joined the force, Peterson, who was born a male, underwent sex reassignment surgery, and though she never made that publicly known at work, she's had pornography left in her mailbox, and endured continual haranguing from some colleagues, she said.
