Lesbian Teenager Kicked Out Of McDonald’s After Using Women’s Restroom
Sixteen-year-old Ny Richardson claims she was kicked out of a McDonald’s branch in Hull, England for using the women’s restroom because staff members thought she was a male, reports Good.
According to the Daily Mail, Richardson and her friends were dining at the St. Andrews Quay McDonald’s branch when she got up to use the restroom.
“I ordered my food and left it with my girlfriend as I went to the toilet,” Richardson said. “When I was in there, someone told me to get out and when I sat back down, the manager came over and told me that I needed to leave because I have been in the girls’ toilet.”
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Richardson denies she was uncooperative and claims that the manager then asked her to provide proof of ID, which she did not have at the time. According to Richardson, the manager demanded that she leave the restaurant threatening to call the police.
“I’m used to being accused of being a boy, but this time I was humiliated in front of the whole restaurant. I think his attitude was disgusting and I’m still angry about it now,” Richardson told the Daily Mail.
Richardson, who is a student at Kingswood Academy, said that she came out as gay when she was 12 years old, and despite the full support of her friends and family, she says that it has led to her being abused.
“She is who she is and people need to accept that,” Mrs Richardson, of Beverley Road, told the Daily Mail. “She shouldn’t have to justify herself to anybody.”
Police confirmed that they responded to a call at the McDonald’s branch after an altercation arose between Richardson’s group of friends and the restaurant staff, reports Good.
“An altercation had ensued between the youths and staff after a customer complained a person they wrongly believed to be male was in the women’s toilets,” a Humberside Police spokeswoman confirmed on Tuesday.
A McDonald’s spokesperson also acknowledged that a group of individuals were asked to leave the premises “following several complaints about inappropriate behavior.” The spokesperson further emphasized that “these actions have been taken due to unacceptable behavior only.”
Unfortunately, this is not the first time someone has been asked for proof of gender to use a public restroom. In fact, North Carolina recently passed a law – also known as The Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act, or HB 2 – that requires transgender individuals to use the restroom that corresponds with the gender on their birth certificates.
North Carolina’s Attorney General Roy Cooper said he would refuse to defend the law in court.
“We’re talking about discrimination here,” Cooper said at a press conference, according to CNN. “Not only is this new law a national embarrassment, it will set North Carolina’s economy back.”
Bruce Springsteen also made headlines on Friday when he canceled his Sunday night show in Greensboro, citing the bill in a statement posted on his website.
“Some things are more important than a rock show and this fight against prejudice and bigotry — which is happening as I write — is one of them,” Springsteen wrote.
Voice your opposition of discriminatory legislation like #HB2 by contacting your elected officials. Find them here: https://t.co/OBpJsZpXRi
— Bruce Springsteen (@springsteen) April 8, 2016
According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, seven other states in the U.S. have current legislation aiming to enact similar policies.
[Photo via Pixabay]
