Hi all, I am really good at my job. During the pandemic I quit everything I was doing, and I worked very hard to find something where I could love what I do, be of service to my community, and it would give me a living wage. After working my way up, I finally landed a good paying job in social work a year ago. I love it, I feel my life has meaning, and I have gotten excellent reviews from my managers, and the customers? clients? really appreciate the help I can provide.

However, I am also old. I am a childless latina immigrant cat lady, and I should not have to perform or do the code switch in order to seem professional. I have a PhD and 20 years of experience, in addition to the excellent standing I have gained. This was part of the perks of landing this job, a place where I could feel valued.

And here comes Faith (fake name), a person who works in the same department as me, but not in the same area or anything like it. And about a month ago she yelled at me in public about being unprofessional for telling a customer that a certain provider was a creepy man and beware if he tried to hug her.

Ok, the vagueness is stupid. I told a student to beware that the only provider of the Spanish service has a "fucking machista sexist man" as a director, I did say that. Also, I said that as long as she avoided his hugs and spending time in his office, she would be ok. Andi told the workers in this place directly that she was coming so that they could protect her, as I have an agreement with them so that we can avoid the asshole and the interactions with the students as much as we can.

This is the only place where the services are provided in Spanish and everyone, including Faith, know about the asshole.

So, she yelled at me in public. And I was confused. We had talked before about this asshole and Faith told me a couple of stories of other women in the community that were also abused by him.

So I ignored her.

And she started saying to anyone that could listen that I was unprofessional and traumatized and crazy. And people started coming at me to tell me that!! And I feel bad, because it is people I like and respect, but they are people who work in part time or student jobs, like the person who answers the phone, and the custodian.

I don't try to imagine why a person would do things. That is assuming and it only feeds our own egos, but... Faith is a person who will talk to the management, she hates all the other Latinos that aren't mexican, she thinks black people do not have manners or cleanliness, and she despises LGBTQ a lot, and especially trans folx. She usually utters this in private spaces or outside work, I have never heard this in front of her students.

But I did hear her once going on her racist rant with a colleague who is Mexican, married to a Black man who has a black child. And I disengaged, Faith left, and I talked to my colleague who was a bit shaken.

I think Faith is worried I will talk about her as I talk about the sexist asshole. But I have no proof (I do have proof of the asshole, I recorded him.).

After that yelling moment, she has told the office I am unprofessional, crazy, and traumatized. Every time she sees any flaw in anything, she goes straight to my manager. For example, a student of hers interrupted her class while she was lecturing, and she sent a mass email stating that "elefantesta is telling students to interrupt my class".

Thankfully, Faith is known to do that every 6 months with about everyone. So no one really takes her seriously.

And this is where I ask for help. I don't know what to do. A couple of weeks ago I had no proof, and now, what can I say? She is repeating the president elect's statements?

I never had the mean girls experience, and I have so much more work to do to bother with this moron. But I have an email or two a week of she complaining to my manager on how I am fucking up everything. And I am so tired.

I have been documenting everything, I guess this post is part of the documenting process. I really need help in strategies to cope and how to manage this other than write it in my little journal and recording everything that I say. Please, and thank you in advance.

I used to love going to work, and I do not want to go tomorrow because of this Faith. Halp!