A transgender woman says that she was asked for a piece of ID to use the restroom and then kicked out of the restaurant

WASHINGTON – The weekend was supposed to be a long bachelorette party, started with dinner and dancing at Cuba Libre, a lively Cuban restaurant and rum bar in downtown Washington, DC.

Charlotte Clymer and "a big group of girlfriends" had converged at the restaurant on Friday night to enjoy her club atmosphere and celebrate the upcoming wedding of two of their friends.

And it's gone for a festive start – at the beginning.

"Everyone was having a good time," wrote Clymer on Facebook. "Lots of dancing and drinking and going out with great people."

This was posted after the night, after what Clymer calls an act of "blatant discrimination" at the restaurant that resulted in a call to the police and finally drew the attention of the mayor of the city.

Around midnight on Friday, Clymer made her way with a friend through the crowded corridors of Cuba Libre to use the women's restroom. Before she could enter, however, Clymer said that an attendant prevented her – and she only – from asking for her identity card.

"When I asked why, he said that" woman "must be on an identity card to use the women's restroom," wrote Clymer. "I told him that it was nonsense, I turned on my heels and I continued in the toilet."

Clymer, a transgender woman who works as an activist and spokesperson for the Campaign for Human Rights, which advocates for LGBTQ equality, knew she was right. Nevertheless, the nurse followed after her into the women's washroom.

"I go to a box to do my things, and I hear him come in and get me in this bathroom filled with women," wrote Clymer. "He does everything except open the doors of the stall."

Even after she finished, Clymer said the attendant was waiting outside the restroom. This time, he had with him the director of Cuba Libre, who also insisted that there was a law of D.C. that supported the belief of the attendant. The manager demanded to see Clymer's identity card, even after she repeatedly told him that there was no such law.

Clymer refused to show his identity. An uncomfortable stalemate ensues. The halls were crowded, and people were starting to notice them, she said.

"Part of me was already in gas," Clymer told the Washington Post in an interview Sunday morning. "I knew what I was talking about. [these issues] All the time. But the more insistent he was, the more doubt ran through my mind.

Clymer said she's out of the restaurant to collect her thoughts. On her phone, she withdrew the current law regarding restrooms, the Washington Human Rights Act, which dictates that "staff must respect a person's choice of restroom based on his or her sexual identity or expression ".

Clymer brought him back inside to show the director, imagining that he could end the debate. Maybe she thought, it might even make excuses.

Instead, the manager doubled his position.

"He had the exact opposite reaction, very condescending and dismissive," said Clymer. The director refused to believe that the text that she had shown him was true, but never produced "that imaginary law that he quoted," she said.

He finally threatened to call the police.

"I told him that he should absolutely call the cops," wrote Clymer. "Please, he said I had to leave."

Clymer said that she wanted to cry when she was outside. Now their dispute had attracted a small crowd. Clymer said that several restaurant patrons offered their support – some left Cuba Libre in solidarity – or tried to intervene with the director, but to no avail.

Despite his threat to call the police, the director never did – and shortly after, one of Clymer's friends said that she had seen another non-sexist person asking for a piece of ID in the bathroom, moments after Clymer was confronted.

That was the last straw, said Clymer. After some deliberation, she called the police.

"I went to a place of anger that I do not visit often, I had to do something, I'm not the kind of person who calls the cops, but at that point I did not know what to do with it. 39; another. wrote. "At D.C., a city famous for its culture, inclusivity and LGBTQ protections, I was amazed that a company could so openly discriminate against transgender people.

Clymer praised the police response and said the agents came in a few minutes to reassure her, the law was on her side.

"The DC police could not be more professional, they arrived at the scene, were immediately a soothing presence, immediately took reports," she told the Post. "I could not have asked for a better experience with the police."

Many more restaurant patrons then also knew what had happened and offered their support, Clymer said.

Nevertheless, Clymer said that she was aware that the same meeting could have ended very differently for those who are not "white, law-abiding and connected to people who can help". She struggled to find out what had happened and, after some encouragement from her friends, decided to publish her social media experience on Saturday.

"I woke up Saturday morning and felt really naive," said Clymer. "I felt naive in thinking that it would not happen in a city like DC Plus I thought, the more I felt like … people in DC need to know that it happens to LGBTQ people . "

His posts on Twitter drew the attention of Cuba Libre leaders, who apologized for the incident and said his staff would be immediately recycled. The letter also stated that the director general of Cuba Libre wanted to speak with Clymer.

"It is particularly disappointing that it happened during the month of pride when we undertake efforts and events to support the LGBTQ community," the letter says.

The restaurant said Sunday in a statement that it would not comment until the general manager had an opportunity to speak with Clymer.

Clymer has also received tweets of support from many public figures, including D. C. Muriel Bowser, D Mayor, and former first daughter Chelsea Clinton.

On Saturday afternoon, Clymer said that she had not yet spoken with Cuban Free executives and that she was trying to enjoy the rest of the weekend learning her music. friend. She vowed to explore legal options against Cuba Libre this week for what she describes as "blatant discrimination."

"I'm just worried that this is happening to someone who does not have the privilege I have," Clymer told the Post. "I do not think they would have felt so confident calling the cops or the challenge [the restaurant] in public."