Feds honor 66-year-old East Flatbush transgender woman

[Shana A]

Feds honor 66-year-old East Flatbush transgender  woman 
Victoria Cruz honored by Justice Dept.

By Simone Weichselbaum / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Wednesday, April 25, 2012, 6:29 PM

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/feds-honor-66-year-old-east-flatbush-transgender-woman-article-1.1067544

The feds are watching one of Brooklyn's toughest ladies.

East Flatbush resident Victoria Cruz, a transgender woman who has been "out" since grade school, is a Justice Department 2012 pick as one of the nation's top crime fighters.

The 66-year-old Latina, known simply as "Vicki," advises abuse victims from across the city based on lessons she learned surviving years of sexual and physical torment during an era when homophobia was rampant.

[Shana A]

Victoria Cruz, Latina Transgender, Given Award From Justice Department For Her Work With Abuse Victims

The Huffington Post  |  By Laura Steiner Posted: 04/27/2012 7:46 am

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/27/victoria-cruz-latina-transgender-awarded-justice-department_n_1455816.html

The Justice Department's National Crime Victim Service Award honors individuals and programs that provide services to victims of crime. Many of the service providers were at one time victims themselves.

Such is the case of Victoria Cruz, a transgender activist and counselor for domestic abuse, who was a recipient of the 2012 award.

Cruz first made headlines back in 1997 when she was working at Cobble Hill Nursing Home and she accused four female co-workers of harassing her and calling her names such as "Anti-man" and "Battyman," pejorative sexual slurs used by West Indians for homosexuals. Two of her coworkers were found guilty of harassment and the two others were acquitted by the court. At the time of the assault, Cruz was still waiting to get her surgical operation.