It all began three years ago when Charmaine McGuffey was fired from the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Department by Sheriff Jim Neil. McGuffey claims it happened because she raised concerns over abuse of force by fellow officers and the fact she’s an openly gay woman. Neil claims he fired McGuffey for creating a hostile work environment. The lawsuit is still pending in federal court. A trial date has been set for December 7. “The current sheriff and I got into a pretty serious disagreement about the practice of him not holding officers accountable for use of force and harassment of women, female officers, and female inmates,” McGuffey told LGBTQ Nation. McGuffey didn’t just want to beat Neil in court. She decided she would defeat him at the ballot box and take his job, too.