After defending the actions of a security guard who threw a lesbian couple out of a women’s restroom and accused one of them of being a man, a five-star hotel in Boston has suspended the guard and admitted he acted in error.
In addition to sidelining the staff member, the Liberty Hotel on Boston’s Beacon Hill said all staff are being retrained “on inclusive practices and guest interaction protocols.” The hotel is also donating to a local LGBTQ+ organization, WBZ News reports.
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“The Liberty Hotel is and always will be an ally of the LGBTQ+ community and a place where everyone is welcome and celebrated,” the hotel said in a statement. “We will continue to educate and train our team to ensure that everyone feels safe and accepted within our four walls, and guests who do not show tolerance and acceptance towards others will be removed.”
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The hotel’s statement issued Tuesday was in stark contrast to their initial reaction to the incident on Saturday during a Kentucky Derby viewing party, when the guard stormed into the women’s restroom in the hotel lobby and began banging on stall doors. He accused one of the lesbian partners of being a man.
“All of a sudden there was banging on the door,” said one of the women, Ansley Baker.
“I pulled my shorts up. I hadn’t even tied them. One of the security guards was there telling me to get out of the bathroom, that I was a man in the women’s bathroom. I said, ‘I’m a woman.’”
Baker’s partner, Liz Victor, was waiting by the sinks and heard the commotion.
“I looked down and I saw her shoes, and that’s when I was like, ‘What is going on?”
As Baker was escorted out, the women said, other women in line for the restroom hurled insults at her, calling Baker “a creep” and demanding she be removed. The security guard then demanded to see the women’s IDs to prove their gender.
After a heated exchange, the couple was told to leave the hotel.
In their initial statement issued Monday, the Liberty Hotel accused the two women of sharing one stall.
“An incident occurred at the Liberty Hotel on Saturday, May 3 where several women alerted security of two adults sharing a bathroom stall,” the hotel wrote. “The bathroom was cleared out as two adults in one stall are not permitted. After leaving the bathroom, a member of the couple from the stall put their hands on our security team and it was then that they were removed from the premises.”
“The Liberty Hotel has a zero-tolerance policy for any physical altercations on our property,” the hotel continued. “The safety of our guests and staff is our priority, and this event is under investigation.”
With the investigation complete, the hotel has changed its story.
The couple vehemently denied being in the same stall.
“If that’s what he thought the issue was once he opened the stall door, obviously there was only one person in there, so it should’ve been case closed,” Victor said. “Let her tie up her shorts and go about her day.”
The couple said they went public hoping to make a difference for others experiencing the same kind of treatment.
“We know we’re not the only ones that face this kind of thing and just hope it doesn’t happen again and that other people who go through this receive the same support,” said Baker.
Victor added, “It was a very scary situation, but trans women experience this every single day in the U.S. and across the world.”
Since 2016, Massachusetts state law has allowed all people to use restrooms and locker rooms that are most aligned with their gender identity.
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