News & Opinion
Girl Kicked Out of McDonald's for Using Women's Bathroom Because Staff Thought She Was a Boy
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Girl Kicked Out of McDonald's for Using Women's Bathroom Because Staff Thought She Was a Boy
Ny Richardson, a 16-year-old from Yorkshire, England, claims she was kicked out of her local McDonald's after using the bathroom because the staff thought her gender didn't match the facilities she used.
"I ordered my food and left it with my girlfriend as I went to the toilet," Ny told Yahoo News. "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."
Richardson protested and the manager asked the teenager to show her ID to prove her gender [Ed. note: C'mon, guys]. When she failed to produce any ID, the manager told her to leave and called the police.
Richardson says she was humiliated by the experience and calls the manager's attitude towards her "disgusting."
"I'm still angry about it now," she added.
McDonald's claims Richardson was part of a disruptive group who were asked to leave for causing trouble, and police confirmed that they were called after a group of kids Ny was with got into an "altercation" with the staff.
"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," Humberside Police said in a statement.
However, Richardson insists she didn't cause any trouble and that this isn't the first time she's faced discrimination due to her appearance.
"She is who she is and people need to accept that," said Ny's mother, Leigh Richardson. "She shouldn't have to justify herself to anybody."
Though this story took place across the pond, it perfectly illustrates the problems with "bathroom" bills like those in North Carolina, Mississippi, and now Tennessee. While they purport to protect women and children from "predators"--as if trans people are just dying to run obtrusively wild in the bathrooms of America--they really only promote intolerance.
Related | Watch: Trans North Carolinans Speak Out Against Discriminatory 'Bathroom' Law
What are we doing when we're forcing people in a (I'm assuming) civilized society to show proof of gender to use a bathroom? Especially Mc-fucking-Donald's. Have you ever been in a McDonald's bathroom? It's almost as gross as actually eating McDonald's.
It looks like America's next great civil rights battle is being launched at the urinals, toilets, and changing tables across this great-ish land of ours. Meanwhile, Ally McBeal had the right idea ages ago.
[h/t] PinkNews