When I worked for the City of Sauk Rapids, two female coworkers and I filed claims of sexual discrimination based on pay against the city and AFSCME Union with the department of Human Rights and they found probable cause. We prevailed with the city and because they settled with us, the union did not have to pay anything to the two of us who were in AFSCME. This was in 2002 and it spanned a few years to settle. This was before the real dawning of the internet. The newspaper was online but most people still had it delivered and many would comment on the articles online. We endured so many comments about wanting to get paid as much as men. I was shocked then, and now I have grown weary of knowing it is just a reality. I got hate mail from anonymous people. Our fellow union brothers told us that we didn’t need to be paid the same because we were married and we weren’t the bread-winners. It was just unbelievable. I quit my job there right before filing, one woman was wrongfully dismissed, and the other woman stayed working there for a number of years before filing another claim and prevailing. Part of her settlement was quitting her position. I found it hard to get support from hardly anyone except my husband. When friends and family heard about the claim, they were not that supportive even when I prevailed. At times I felt guilty of being greedy but I know deep down that is not the case. It was one big case of gaslighting. I think there are a lot of women out there who are not getting the pay they deserve and they will never stand up for themselves because of the treatment they might receive. I think their stories about how earning less money for most of their careers and lives should be told and how it affected their ability to provide for their families.