Yes, this is absolutely true. In fact, I cited specific instances. When I was asked to leave a job, I consulted a lawyer—a rather high-priced one, I might add—who advised me simply to quit, that it would not be worth my time and money to fight the case, and that it would make me look bad. It would be a better course of action to simply quit and look for employment elsewhere.
In terms of the other experience, yes; when you live in New York City, you realize that sometimes the police are.... Well, they're a little bit different than you are, and they have their experiences.
So no, I did not feel that I would be taken very seriously, particularly as I'd had the other experience of going to change my name legally, a perfectly basic right that every American citizen has, and having three people actually point at me and laugh. I didn't really trust many government agencies at that time.