Colorado female staffers fear retaliation after filing bathroom complaint against transgender aide
Some female staffers in the Colorado Capitol reportedly disturbed by having to share the women's restroom with a biological male aide are allegedly being bullied into submission.
A press conference held on the steps outside the Colorado Capitol on April 30 saw men and women alike coalescing against transgender ideology – both the argument at stake in a controversial bill touted as a threat to parental rights and in the case involving the staffers.
"They are being squished, being told to be quiet, sit down, shut up and know your place. When did we go back to that? Women no longer have rights to this [privacy]?" State Rep. Scott Bottoms, a Republican representing the 15th district, said from the steps.
"I'm telling you – from me personally – enough is enough," he said.
Bottoms, now a state gubernatorial candidate with a history of opposing progressive transgender ideology, has been trusted to lead the effort on the staffers' behalf. He finished his speech with a rallying cry to "reclaim Colorado."
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The women involved in the case have chosen to remain anonymous out of fear of retaliation but filed a complaint after having to share a restroom with the aide they accuse of making them feel uncomfortable.
A copy of a formal three-page complaint letter addressed to Democratic Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie was provided to Fox News Digital.
The document reads in part, "[This transgender aide] has created an environment that feels increasingly hostile and unsafe… this situation has escalated beyond a manageable level for us."
The letter explains that witnessing the transgender aide entering the restroom left one of the females "deeply worried for her safety and that of others."
"The layout of this restroom – where stall doors obscure who is present and anyone could enter after you – heightens this concern, as there's no way to know who is sharing the space.
"This lack of privacy and predictability has made a routine part of our workday feel distressing," the document continued.
Bottoms told Fox News Digital that state officials – particularly the Democratic-led state legislature – have failed to act on the staffers' behalf.
"It's been something that's been building for a while," he said.
"Our leadership in the house [holds] a very pro-transgender ideology, extremely. So now we've got some legislative aides that have stepped up and said, 'This is not okay… since then, that story has started evolving…"
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Bottoms claimed the transgender aide involved in the complaint followed the other aides around, "stalking" and "threatening" them through body language, something both the complaint and one of the female aides involved in the incident reaffirmed when speaking to Fox News Digital.
"It's an intimidation tactic… it's being done to make us feel uncomfortable," the aide said. She explained that the legislative offices in a building located across from the Capitol are essentially divided – one side for Republicans and another side for Democrats.
"But the only bathroom on our floor is on the Democrat side, so every time we have to go to the restroom, we have to walk over there," she added.
Text messages provided to Fox News Digital show a conversation between an aide and the Office of Legislative Workplace Relations, who said the issue could be mitigated by entering the restroom in pairs, asking who is inside the bathroom before entering, walking across the street to the Capitol, or asking their bosses if they can work remotely.
Fox News Digital reached out to the office for comment and to request further information surrounding any investigation but did not receive a response in time for publication.
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Rep. Bottoms also said the women at the center of the complaint risk losing their jobs should they decide to speak out without anonymity.
"They are harassing them, they're bullying them," he said of what he branded as the "leftist Marxist" Democrats from the state.
Right-wing social media account Libs of TikTok also posted about the incident in March, claiming multiple female staffers had reached out, complaining about having to share a bathroom with the aide.
"They have tried asking legislators to do something but the Democrat-controlled legislature has failed to act," the post read in part. "This is a disgusting violation of female-only private spaces."
The aide who spoke to Fox News Digital claims the retaliation worsened after the Libs of TikTok post went public, a point reiterated in the official complaint letter.
The letter states that "none of the female staffers/aides have any knowledge of who" shared the information with Libs of TikTok, but the transgender aide approached one of the females and pressured her to reveal who had leaked the information, leaving her distraught.
As the situation escalated, the female staffers met with the Office of Legislative Workplace Relations, where, according to the complaint, they were soon offered some avenues to address their complaints, including that they find a different restroom to use.
"These solutions place the burden on us to adapt, rather than addressing the root issue," the letter states.
Those with contrary opinions point to state law to support their claims, arguing that transgender individuals have an enshrined right to use whichever sex-segregated space corresponds with their gender identity.
The ACLU Colorado, for instance, writes that the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) – which prohibits discrimination in public spaces based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression – legally enables transgender individuals to use public restrooms and other sex-segregated spaces that align with their gender identity.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Colorado House Speaker's office and the office of the Democratic official whose aide is involved in this matter for comment, but did not receive a reply in time for publication.Original article source: Colorado female staffers fear retaliation after filing bathroom complaint against transgender aide
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