NYPD officers ‘humiliate trans woman and arrest her in pink handcuffs’
Trans woman . (
Three New York City Police officers allegedly mocked a trans woman, deliberately misgendered her and arrested her in non-standard pink handcuffs.
Linda Dominguez, a cosmetologist, was stopped by police as she walked through a park after closing hours in the Bronx on April 18, 2018.
Dominguez, a Latina trans woman, explained what happened to her in a video for the New York Civil Liberties Union, which has filed a lawsuit on her behalf against NYPD.
She said that she gave her current and previous legal names to officers.
Trans woman is charged with “false personation,” which is later dropped
However, she was arrested in pink handcuffs and taken to a local police station.
Dominguez said that officers then made her stay in the non-standard handcuffs overnight and mocked her.
According to the lawsuit, officers misgendered Dominguez.
“I went through so much trauma being arrested in this way. It really was a horrible experience.”
—Linda Dominguez
The officers charged Dominguez with “false personation,” which means the alleged deliberately misrepresented their identity to police, and criminal trespass later that evening, according to a lawsuit reported by The Advocate.
All the charges were thrown out following a court ruling in August.
In the video, Domingquez said: “In the precinct I saw them mock me.
“The policewoman looked at me as if there was something wrong with me because she looked at me so ugly.
“They mocked me, [saying:] ‘That a man, that’s not a man, what’s that?'”
Lawsuit filed on behalf of trans woman
She added: “I went through so much trauma being arrested in this way. It really was a horrible experience.”
Dominguez said she considered taking her own life after the incident.
Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement: “The NYPD must take responsibility for the culture of discrimination that pervades the department.
“Being transgender is not a crime.”
Watch the video below:
In a statement to The Advocate, the NYPD claimed it was committed to ensuring the safety of the LGBT+ community.
“[T]he NYPD has carefully and thoughtfully designed and implemented effective policies, training protocols, outreach initiatives, and disciplinary processes,” said the police spokesperson.
“The NYPD will continue to communicate and collaborate with the LGBTQ community as we seek to further strengthen our relationship with all of the communities throughout the City that we protect and serve.”
Although the NYPD introduced guidelines for officers in 2012 on how to better respond to the needs of the LGBT+ community, Liberman said that staff were taking matters into their own hands
“The police’s own guidelines prohibit discrimination against trans New Yorkers, but clearly the NYPD is failing to make sure officers follow their own rules and honour the dignity of all New Yorkers,” Lieberman said.
