US transgender woman removed from restaurant when she refuses to show ID to access bathroom

Victim Charlotte Clymer, who identifies as female and works for the Human Rights Campaign, said the incident occurred on Friday night when she had visited  Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar in Washington with a group of friends.

They visited the restaurant for a bachelorette party.

In a series of tweets,  Charlotte Clymer claimed that she asked by restaurant staff to show her ID when she went to the washroom.

She said the staff did not ask anyone else for the ID.

" Last night, I was told by the manager of @CubaLibreDC that I couldn't use the women's restroom, and after challenging his discrimination with D.C. law and responding to his threat of calling the police w/ "please do so", I was forcibly removed from the restaurant. (thread)," Clymer tweeted.

" I was there w/ a large group of girlfriends. We're having a bachelorette weekend for my good friend @emilycrockett, and first on our list was a dance party being held at @CubaLibreDC. Everyone had a great time. Lots of dancing and drinking and hanging out with great people," she said.

She further claimed: "Near the end our time there, I went to use the restroom with my friend and before I reached the door, an attendant stuck out his arm and said he needed to see my ID. When I asked why, he said that 'female' must be on an ID to use the women's restroom. No one else was asked." " This is a packed hallway in a packed club/restaurant, and this random staff person specifically picks me out to ask for ID. I told him that's nonsense, turned on my heel, and continued into the restroom. My friend is telling him that he's making a mistake," she said.

She said; " I go into a stall to do my business, and I hear him walk in and search for me in this busy restroom full of women. He is doing everything but opening the stall doors. I ignore him, and after a few moments, he leaves. I do my business, wash my hands, and walk out.On the other side of the door are the attendant and the manager, who says it's D.C. law that you must have "female" on your ID to use the women's restroom. I tell him he's wrong and there's no chance I'm showing him my ID. There are people crammed into this hallway. It's busy."

Speaking further on her experience, she said: "I was angry and needed to cool off, so I again refuse to show him my ID and walked out of the restaurant to get my bearings. I brought up D.C.'s law regarding restrooms on my phone (https://bit.ly/2MP7lQx ) and walked in, straight to him, to show him how this is illegal."

Clymer said: "He treated me like I was being irrational, glanced over the text and said "that's incorrect". He continued to refuse to show this imaginary law he was citing and threatened to call the cops. I told him he should absolutely call the cops. Please do. He then said I need to leave."

She said: "I told him I work for the Human Rights Campaign, he's making a mistake here, and he needs to adjust his course of action. I told him this is discrimination and said he's being a bigot. He laughed and mocked my workplace. "Oh, I know you folks at [address]."

Clymer said she was forcibly removed from the restaurant.

"He continued to ask me to leave. I told him I'm not going anywhere until the cops are called. For several minutes near the front door, this manager continued to refuse to call the cops, his original threat, and said I need to leave," she said.

Clymer said: "A bouncer came up and said I need to be reasonable. I told him the situation and said I would not be leaving until the cops are called. No chance. I explained the law to him, and he continued his condescending plea for me to leave. He then grabbed my arm and pushed me out."

Clymer appreciated the police response after the incident.

She tweeted: "I could not have asked for a more professional and affirming experience from @DCPoliceDept. The responding officers--all cisgender men--were patient and kind in their communication, assured me I was right on the law, and radioed for their LGBTQ liaison unit to respond."

Restaurant apologises:

Cuba Libre later apologised for the incident.

Issuing a statement, it tweeted: "@cmclymer We are extremely sorry for the incident that occurred at our restaurant last night."

Prominent people support Clymer:

Clymer's received support from prominent people like D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, D, and former first daughter Chelsea Clinton.

Bowser tweeted: ".@cmclymer, I’m so sorry this happened to you. While I’m glad to hear that @DCPoliceDept were there to represent our true #DCValues, we won’t accept this type of discrimination in Washington, DC. It’s not just illegal, it’s against all we stand for."

Image: Charlotte Clymer Twitter page