WASHINGTON, D.C. – Hannah Kulishova joined the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) nearly five years ago for what she viewed as the perfect role: steady work, miles of walking, and a chance to serve her community. However, that all came crashing down when she discovered her employer had placed her – and countless other women – in harm’s way.
This downspiral began after a male USPS employee identifying as a transgender woman was allowed access to the women’s restrooms in the Larchmont, New York, post office, where Kulishova worked.
“He came into the bathroom while I was still washing my hands,” Kulishova said in an exclusive new interview with Independent Women’s Features (IW Features), the grassroots storytelling and original journalism arm of Independent Women.
“I immediately felt afraid, which is really strange. That doesn’t normally happen, and I couldn’t explain why,” said Kulishova, who noted that she went to her postmaster to raise concerns about a biological male using the women’s restroom, but those concerns were allegedly dismissed.
With the USPS being a federal agency, Kulishova thought it had to adhere to President Donald Trump’s Day One Executive Order that women and men must be guaranteed single-sex spaces.
Kulishova began looking into Ashley Phillips’ background when she discovered his name on the sex offender registry. Anthony Phillips (later changed to Ashley Phillips) was convicted in 2004 with a 180-month state prison sentence after pleading guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor.
Though Kulishova again raised concerns with her superior, noting it was shocking that a convicted sex offender with a history of pornography and a likelihood to reoffend had unequivocal access to the women’s restroom and locker room, those concerns were allegedly dismissed.
Despite her uphill battle, Kulishova still loves her job and hopes to raise awareness about this situation in the chance that other men identifying as transgender women are similarly being given access to the USPS’s intimate, previously single-sex spaces.
Andrea Mew, Independent Women’s Features managing editor and profile author, said: “The fact that a federal agency not only hired a convicted sex offender, but then brushed off women’s fears shows just how far women’s dignity means to them. When leadership cares more about appearing inclusive than protecting the women who keep them running, women get sacrificed and predators get a free pass. Hannah’s courage to speak out reminds us that truth still matters, but it really shouldn’t take a whistleblower to say that women deserve their own spaces and the most basic protections.”
Beth Parlato, Independent Women’s Law Center senior legal counsel, said: “It is unconscionable that the USPS is prioritizing the comfort of a convicted sex offender over the basic rights and safety of female employees such as Hannah. Instead of addressing her valid, well-founded concerns for her safety and privacy, the USPS has told her to stay silent and accept the risk. This is not only a moral failure, but also a legal one. The USPS has a legal and ethical duty to provide a safe working environment, especially when it comes to protecting women in vulnerable spaces. The USPS must be held accountable for creating a hostile work environment and for its blatant disregard of the rights, dignity, and safety of its female employees.”
Read Kulishova’s profile on IW Features here: Whistleblower Says USPS Hired a Convicted Sex Offender, Then Gave Him Access to Women’s Restrooms and Personal Information
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