Woman Kicked Out of Bathroom For Looking Like Man
According to the New York Times this month, a Hell’s Kitchen woman went to the women’s bathroom in a New York restaurant with unfortunate results. Moments after the woman entered the bathroom, a bouncer burst into the room and insisted she leave because he believed she was really a man.
Even though the woman showed the bouncer her state ID, which clearly showed she was a woman, the bouncer ejected the woman and her entire party from the restaurant.
The Transgender Legal Defense and Education fund later sued on the woman’s behalf, and the restaurant was held liable for $35,000 in damages and has agreed to change its bathroom policy. From now on, patrons at the restaurant are allowed to use the women’s or men’s rooms according to their own gender expression.
It’s not unusual for transgendered people to have issues surrounding bathroom use. Some studies have shown that the transgendered experience higher rates of dehydration and urinary tract infections from avoiding public bathrooms, and some U.S. schools are installing gender-neutral bathrooms to avoid discrimination.
What do you think: was the bouncer justified in throwing the woman out?