NEWARK, N.J. – A long-time transgender Newark teacher allegedly fired over criminal convictions from the 1970s blames the bad behavior on gender reassignment hormone treatments, and is now suing the district.

Christine Hamlett worked for Newark public schools for 42 years, from 1970, through her gender reassignment surgery in 1983, until she was terminated in 2013, NJ.com reports.

She was initially a social studies teacher at several schools, then worked as a guidance counselor and supervised attendance issues in the district’s central office. When Hamlett applied for a position as executive director of Student Support Services in 2009 the district collected her fingerprints and ran a criminal background check.

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“The records turned up convictions for shoplifting and marijuana possession from the late 1970s, which Hamlett says were related to behavior changes as a result of medical and hormonal treatments she was undergoing to prepare for her reassignment surgery,” NJ.com reports.

Hamlett filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court earlier this year alleging that after district officials learned of her criminal past they reassigned the educator to a “rubber room” – a purgatory for those awaiting employment proceedings, deemed too dangerous for contact with children, or others protected by the union contract the district can’t fire.

Hamlet claims union officials suggested she simply go away.

She didn’t.

Hamlett apparently used her extra free time to champion gay and lesbian causes, and served as a board member on the city’s LGBT task force.

“As Plaintiff became increasingly involved within the LGBTQ community and more visible on a state and national basis, NPS became determined to find ways to lessen her influence and involvement in these projects in NPS and elsewhere as this was not an issue it believed should be a priority,” the lawsuit states, according to NJ.com.

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The district eventually terminated Hamlett in February 2013.

“Of course I was devastated. I was devastated because it seemed disrespectful. Because of the way it was handled,” she said.

Hamlett’s lawsuit alleges wrongful termination and seeks an unspecified payout for an ulcer and other issues she contends are related to the stress of her employment ordeal.

Christina Bennett, the attorney representing Newark schools, told NJ.com she filed a motion to dismiss two of the three counts in the case and expects a ruling on those motions soon.

Other than that, the district offered no comments about Hamlett’s situation.