Transgender Female Sues the State of Florida for Gender Discrimination
The First Sexual Discrimination Lawsuit of Its Kind in the United States

Jennifer Etherton, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Oct 23, 2011

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/9066125/transgender_female_sues_the_state_of.html?cat=17

On September 26, 2011, a notice of intent to sue was delivered to Greg "Bruce" Brudnick, mayor of Panama City, Florida; Brenda Hendricks, mayor of Parker City Florida; and Glenn Hess, Florida's State Attorney in the 14th judicial circuit court on behalf of Erica Kay. Ms. Kay sites gross misconduct of both the police and other members of the law enforcement community in her suit of false arrest and gender discrimination. According to Erica Kay in September of 2007, she was targeted as a transgender business owner when clients of Bella Casa Interiors, LLC, alleging that she closed the business and left town without meeting clients' contracts, filed complaints. These allegations came on the heels of tabloid articles surfacing that revealed her transgender status.

According to a press release, Ms. Kay was a partner in Bella Casa Interiors, LLC and it was clearly proven that it was Erica Kay's partner, Melvin John Harvill, who closed the business and left town, but he was never charged. Ms. Kay states that she was arrested based on the tabloid articles and not on the facts of the case itself. After she was arrested the claims made in the tabloid articles were proven false, but it was too late.

Florida...  Not exactly a great state for LGBT equality.  "I'm not like them" MTF transgender Susan Stanton excluded.

But maybe the problem is this rabble rousing Erica Kay herself...

QuoteHistorically, Erica Kay is the youngest to have transitioned in the United States, at the age of 17, and by the time of the arrest, she had been a female for 41 years. Ms. Kay was present at the original Stonewall Riots in June of 1969, and is considered an historical figure in the LGBT community. Ms. Kay is in the process of founding the Foundation of International Justice and should be open for business by July of 2012.

From the way she was treated by law enforcement and the judicial system in general, you'd think she was trying to start another Stonewall in stone-walled Florida.

I'm glad she's suing and I hope she wins.  Though I think the deck is a bit stacked against her.