Woman says security guard kicked her out of women’s restroom and forced her to prove her gender identity

A woman says she was forced out of a women’s restroom by hotel security and told to “prove her gender” by showing ID. Ansley Baker shared that the incident unfolded Saturday afternoon at the upscale Liberty Hotel in Boston. She and her girlfriend Liz Victor had been using the women’s restroom when a male security guard entered and began banging on the stall doors. “One of the security guards was there telling me to get out of the bathroom, telling me I am a man in the women’s bathroom. I told him I was a woman,” Baker said.

Baker, who was assigned female at birth and identifies as a woman, said that didn’t stop the humiliation. As she was being walked out of the restroom, she claims women waiting in line made harsh, hurtful remarks. “Someone said, ‘Get him out of here,’ referring to me. ‘He’s a creep,’ also referring to me,” Baker recalled. She called the moment “humiliating,” saying she was yanked out of the stall before she had a chance to tie her shorts. “It’s just humiliating overall,” she said. “Like I said, I didn’t have my shorts tied even, and then just in front of everyone.”

Outside the restroom, Baker and Victor said the security guard demanded their IDs to confirm their gender. After they complied, the situation allegedly escalated until they were ultimately told to leave the premises. Hotel officials later claimed that security entered the restroom only after several guests reported that two adults were in one stall.

They also said the women were asked to leave after one of them made physical contact with a guard. Baker and Victor deny both accusations, insisting they were never in a stall together. “If that’s what he thought the issue was [sharing a stall], once he opened the stall door, obviously there was only one person in there, so it should’ve been kinda cased closed,” Victor said.

LGBTQ advocates say this type of experience is all too familiar. “Being harassed in public restrooms is a tale as old as time,” said Nina Selvaggio of Greater Boston PFLAG. She believes the incident reflects a broader cultural issue, with Massachusetts recently hitting a 20-year high in hate crimes. “I do think the surge in national anti-trans rhetoric is contributing to an increased policing of women’s bodies and their expressions of gender,” Selvaggio said. A representative from Liberty Hotel said they attempted to contact the couple on Monday afternoon.

Sources:

https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2024/05/13/liberty-hotel-restroom-incident-ansley-baker/

https://www.wcvb.com/article/liberty-hotel-boston-woman-removed-restroom/60738678

https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/lgbtq-women-removed-womens-bathroom-boston-hotel-rcna150756