Transgender woman wins right to dress as female at work

A biologically male pharmacist, who is currently transitioning to female, has won the right to wear women's clothing while on the job at King Soopers in Denver. Kim Dower, 51, has withdrawn complaints filed with the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission and the Denver Anti-Discrimination Office after reaching agreement with the grocery chain owned by the Kroger Co., based in Cincinnati. "I'm really pleased with how they're handling this," Dower said Tuesday. "They've reached out to me, and I haven't had any problems with customers. My coworkers have been wonderful all along." King Soopers spokesman Trail Daugherty said Dower agreed to withdraw the complaints in exchange for being able to wear women's clothing. He said the company changed its position after receiving follow-up letters from Dower's doctor and therapist. Dower, who is undergoing a male-to-female sex change, must dress as a woman for a year before surgery. In discrimination complaints, Dower alleged that King Soopers management said wearing women's clothes would be grounds for dismissal. The Anti-Discrimination Office found probable cause in March that the grocery chain violated a city civil rights ordinance prohibiting gender-based discrimination in a workplace. (AP)