Ebony Belcher was inside a wome’s restroom at a Giant in Washington, D.C., when the guard burst in, yelled at Belcher, and then kicked her out of the establishment.
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According to a WRC-TV report, Belcher was at the grocery store when she asked an employee where the bathrooms were. After she entered, though, the guard (who has not been identified) came in and demanded she leave, saying things like “I know you are a man” and “you guys can not keep coming in here and using our women’s restroom”. Belcher claimed she suffers from Parkinson’s disease and nearly fell down during the confrontation.
That is when Belcher says the officer put her hand on her shoulder and arm, grabbed her and pushed her out of the store.
As Belcher entered the bathroom, the security guard “opened the door and came in and started calling [her] derogatory names”.
The guard was later charged with simple assault and remains in custody, according to the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.
The officer came into the restroom and told her to get out.
A security guard was arrested for assaulting a transgender woman in a grocery store bathroom Monday. “They did not pass the law yet”, Belcher continued.
“I’m distraught”, Belcher said. Police are now investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.
The North Carolina law, passed on March 23, requires transgender people to use public restrooms corresponding to the gender listed on their birth certificate.
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Giant apologized in a statement, saying the guard acted inappropriately.
