I wrote about Amber Yust, who received a misgendring letter at her home a few days after visiting a California DMV location from the employee who handled her change of gender application."Although I helped you with the name change, I have to say I do not support the reason for it," says the letter, signed with only a first name and typed on plain paper. "I also do not believe the state's recognition of it — through official documents — makes it legitimate or any less evil."Thomas DeMartini is the employee who sent the jacked up letter in question, and this isn't the first time he's messed with someone in the trans community. According to Attorney Kristina Wertz of The San Francisco based Transgender Law Center, in August 2009 he refused to process an application for another transwoman and told her, "God will send you to hell."
Just what I want for the public servant my tax dollars pay for, faith based transphobic insults.
It resulted in the DMV regional administrator apologizing to the woman for DeMartini's "unprofessional and disrespectful behavior" in a letter sent to the woman two weeks later and promising to use the incident as a learning experience for DMV employees." DeMartini wasn't suspended for the August 2009 incident, but has been for this one.
Too late. Yust through her attorney Christopher Dolan is suing the DMV for $25,000 in damages on the grounds that the 2009 incident showed they knowingly allowed a prejudiced employee to stay on the job and responsible for the pain he caused to Yust. She's suing fpr emotional distress, penalties provided by civil rights laws, and a court order to prohibit future violations.
