My name is Lizbeth, I am a 33 year old Hispanic woman. I have been employed by the county since 2000. 

In July 2007, my department hired a new supervisor. When he first came on board nobody would assist him. I believe that everyone deserves an opportunity when they are first new to an agency, so I agreed to help when my coworker and I were asked to assist on specific projects. We both began to assist him. Before long, my supervisor began to prey on me.

He called meetings with me 2-3 times a week, claiming there was a large need for supervision over the clerical support staff. The alarms in my head started to ring when in meetings he requested that I close the door. He would then sit there and leer at me in a manner that made me feel violated, as though I was naked in the room. I tried to maintain a more professional environment around him but was accused of being uncooperative and was threatened with a bad evaluation.

When I reported the situation to senior management, I was told his behavior was excusable because he was young and immature. I continued to file complaints with HR, with the union, with EEOC. I was told in a meeting where the union was supposed to be representing me that I needed to attend counseling with my supervisor as though we were a couple.

I have sought help from agencies such as 9to5 so that other women in my circumstance do not have to continue to be the victims of organizations and businesses who believe they are above the law. I have been docked in pay and harassed; I have since resigned my employment and unfortunately lost an opportunity to work for the state due to defamation from my employer. I am hopeful that one day the truth will come out and that by reading my story other women might find the courage to stand up and say enough is enough. Having suffered through this, I can tell you that I hold many scars. We need policies and standards to change, so that employers who believe they are above the law can no longer get away with this kind of behavior.