Transgender Alex’s toilet refusal anger
Attitude when she needed loo
A WOMAN has spoken of her anger and frustration after she was blocked from entering the toilet at Maverick’s 80s Lounge.
Alexandra Stone, a fully transitioned transgender woman, has just moved to the Huddersfield area.
But she did not receive a warm welcome when venturing out to the bars on King Street in the town centre for the first time. After having a drink in Maverick’s in the early hours of last Saturday, she was shocked when a toilet attendant refused to let her go in the women’s loo.
An argument ensued and Alex says she was “encouraged to leave” the premises.
Upset and alone, she was forced to urinate in the street after being unable to find anywhere else to use the toilet. Alex was so upset about the incident that she has reported the bar to Kirklees Council’s licensing department.
She said: “A work colleague recommended Maverick’s and said it had a really good feel. I was in there half an hour and then needed the toilet.
“They had someone in the toilet trying to squirt perfume on you, but she took on the role of security.
“She refused to let me in and said, ‘You’re not a woman, go away’.
“I stood my ground and said I need to use the toilet but she blocked the way in.”
Alex, 48, went to speak to management but was horrified when a supervisor escorted her back upstairs and directed her to the men’s toilet.
“It was really horrible,” she said.
“It got really confrontational, it was just wrong. That person had decided what gender I was and refused to let me in based on her opinion.
“Physically I can’t use a urinal. It was so inappropriate.
“After eight years of transitioning I thought I was finally over a hurdle and starting a new life in Huddersfield.
“I naively thought with the 80s connotations Maverick’s would be a safe space. The music was straight out of the 80s but so was the attitude.”
West Yorkshire Police told the Examiner the incident was a matter for the council or the Home Office.
Kirklees Council has been approached for comment.
A spokesperson for equal rights charity Stonewall said: “While there’s widespread misunderstanding about the legislation on this issue, the law is clear that trans people can use single-sex spaces that match their gender.
“The 2010 Equality Act clearly protects trans people from being discriminated against when accessing services.
“Recent statistics show that hate crimes against trans people have increased by 37% in the past year.
“We’d encourage all local government authorities to take steps to ensure businesses are clear on how to support trans people,” said the spokesperson.
Sam Dacre, manager of Maverick’s 80s Lounge, said: “This was the first incident we have had of this nature and staff were not aware of the procedure to deal with it.
“We have now contacted the council for guidelines on how to deal with this situation.
“We will provide adequate training to all staff to ensure future incidents are handled appropriately.
“We would like to apologise to Alexandra for any embarrassment caused.”
A recent Freedom of Information request by the BBC revealed West Yorkshire has one of the highest levels of hate crimes against transgender people.
A stunning 181 were recorded in 2018/19, up 80% on the year before and more than triple the level of 2016/17.
Only London had a higher rate. 16
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