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Herald Sun, Thursday, August 10, 2000. - by Jeremy Kelly A TRANSSEXUAL woman suing the employer who sacked her claimed yesterday she was pressured not to proceed with her sex-change operation. Sharon Menzies, formerly Ron Menzies, also told the Anti Discrimination Tribunal she was considered a "guru" in her field of work. Ms Menzies is suing former employer AstroVac Pty Ltd and its managing director Richard Waycott for more than $400,000 after she was sacked while recovering from her sex-change operation in 1998. In the first case of its kind in Victoria, Ms Menzies told the tribunal her eyes began to sparkle for the first time in her life after she had the operation. She said she had felt like a woman in a man's body from an early age but "battled on" to marriage before fathering 3 children. She joined AstroVac in 1996 after it had bought out her own vacumn systems company in a friendly takeover. After she told Mr Waycott she was going ahead with the operation in late 1997 he urged her not to proceed, Ms Menzies said. My Waycott's barrister Alister McNab told the tribunal the allegations were denied and that Ms Menzies' performance at AstroVac was pretty unremarkable. Mr McNab said Ms Menzies had handled a contract so badly she had to be sacked. "(This case) has got nothing to do with gender. It's about a small business being put at risk by an incompetent person," he said. The hearing before member Dr Greg Lyons is expected to continue today. |
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