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Education

Worker claims Georgia college fired her after disclosing plans to transition gender identity

AJC FILE PHOTO
AJC FILE PHOTO
By
Nov 22, 2017

A former Gwinnett Technical College employee has filed a lawsuit against the college and the state’s technical college system, saying she was dismissed last year after announcing plans to transition her gender identity to a woman.

The former worker, Christine Daily, said she was terminated five months after informing supervisors of plans to begin the transition process. Daily said she was asked to delay the transition for fear it would disrupt the education process. She was program director of emergency medical services. Daily said supervisors began disciplinary measures against her and fired her for insubordination and unprofessional conduct.

The lawsuit was filed Monday in federal court in Atlanta. Daily wants back pay, compensatory damages and policies that end what she described as discriminatory practices based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

A spokeswoman for the Technical College System of Georgia said she couldn’t comment on the lawsuit because officials had not received the complaint.

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About the Author

Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He is the newsroom's education editor. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.

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