DC Restaurant Expels Trans Woman Over Bathroom Use, Issues Apology

A Washington DC restaurant Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar was recently in the news for not allowing a transgender woman use the ladies washroom. They have now issued an apology to the woman.

Charlotte Clymer, a communications staffer for the Human Rights Campaign, narrated her ordeal in a Twitter thread on Saturday afternoon. She wrote that she was at Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar on Friday night for a bachelorette party when a staff member asked for her ID. She was then told that her identification needs to read 'Female' for her to use the women's bathroom.

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.

— Charlotte Clymer?️‍? (@cmclymer) June 23, 2018

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.

— Charlotte Clymer?️‍? (@cmclymer) June 23, 2018

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.

— Charlotte Clymer?️‍? (@cmclymer) June 23, 2018

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.

— Charlotte Clymer?️‍? (@cmclymer) June 23, 2018

She said, "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." Her tweets went viral and many expressed their support to her on Twitter.

Restaurant Issues Apology

The restaurant, Cuba Libre DC, acknowledged its mistake and issued an apology. “We are extremely sorry for the incident that occurred at our restaurant last night,” the restaurant wrote in a letter addressed to Clymer.

@cmclymer We are extremely sorry for the incident that occurred at our restaurant last night. Please view our full response below: pic.twitter.com/gfQ2Ne7GhY

— Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar - Washington D.C. (@CubaLibreDC) June 23, 2018

The Hill reported," Clymer praised the DC Police Department and their LGBTQ Liaison Unit, which arrived on scene during the altercation. She said she will begin pursuing legal action against the restaurant on Monday."

Recently, there have been many such instances of unfair discrimination against the transgender community back home in India too. A 30-year-old teacher, Suchitra Dey, who underwent sex-reassignment surgery in 2017 and changed her name from Hiranmay Dey, was harassed during an interview at a school in Kolkata. “In one of the interviewers at well-known Kolkata-based school, the male Principal asked me if I can bear a child, he also asked me if my breasts are real,” said Suchitra.

Akkai Padmashali, a transgender activist, was denied home loans by banks in Bangalore allegedly because of her gender. In a statement to PTI, she said, “I am living in fear of being evicted from my rented house because of the lease period, which expires on June 28. I had approached the banks, but they have denied me a loan of Rs 10 lakh (to buy the house) because I am a transgender.”

Read: In A First, Chhattisgarh To Recruit Transgender People In Police Force