I don’t know what’s wrong with people, though kudos to the hotel for at least (sort of) doing the right thing, once this incident came to light. Thanks to View from the Wing for flagging this.
The Liberty Hotel Boston harasses woman in bathroom
CBS has the story of an event that happened at The Liberty Hotel Boston, a Marriott Luxury Collection property. On the afternoon of Saturday, May 3, 2025, a lesbian couple attended a Kentucky Derby party at the hotel. Not that this should matter, but it’s worth mentioning that they’re both cis women, so they were both born women and identify as women.
Anyway, the two had to use the bathroom, which is where this incident unfolded. One of the women was waiting at the sinks, while the other women was in a stall. According to the woman in the stall:
“All of a sudden there was banging on the door. 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.'”
So she quickly pulled up her pants, and was then escorted out of the bathroom by the (male) security guard. Women waiting in line were reportedly directing comments at her, like “get him out of here,” and “he’s a creep.” Once in the lobby, the security guard asked the couple for their IDs to check their gender. At that point things got heated, and the couple was ultimately told to leave the hotel.
Initially, the hotel claimed that “several women alerted security of two adults sharing a bathroom stall.” That’s an accusation the couple vehemently denies. I’m inclined to believe them, especially since the security guard immediately focused on the gender of the woman in the bathroom, rather than whether there had been multiple people in a stall. For that matter, even if it were true, that doesn’t justify the response, which was having them prove their gender (separate from people sharing a stall).
Of course gender and bathroom use (and sports, for that matter) has become a hot button political topic in recent times. Surely we can all agree that it’s a little absurd when someone who was born a woman is heckled for using the women’s restroom. Of course there’s also an irony to a man being called into a women’s restroom to try to prove the gender of someone using it.
The hotel suspends security guard following incident
The Liberty Hotel Boston has concluded its investigation into the incident, and has suspended the security guard from his position. The hotel has also stated that all staff are being retrained “on inclusive practices and guest interaction protocols,” and the hotel is making a donation to a local LGBTQ+ organization. Per a statement from the hotel:
“The Liberty Hotel is and always will be an ally of the LGBTQ+ community and a place where everyone is welcome and celebrated. We will continue to educate and train of 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.”
I very much appreciate that statement, especially about clearly laying out that those who don’t show tolerance to others will be removed. While that’s a step in the right direction, the couple claims that they still haven’t received a public apology, nor a retraction of the hotel’s original claims, to clarify that there was only one person in the stall.
Bottom line
The Liberty Hotel Boston has been forced to issue an apology, after a woman using the bathroom at the hotel was accused of being a man, and was escorted out of the bathroom, and forced to prove her gender. The woman was both born a woman and identifies as a woman, so that’s a pretty bad mistake for the hotel to make.
The hotel has issued an apology, suspended the security guard, and has promised to remove any guests who don’t show tolerance and acceptance toward others.
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