Woman turned away by Airbnb host for being trans
A professional writer and producer has gone public after being refused an Airbnb apartment because she is transgender.
Shadi Peosky has spoken out, after she was refused a stay in Minneapolis.
Airbnb is currently under fire because black guests have been refused apartments due to their race and it was this outrage sparked Ms Peosky to share her experience.
The producer of animated comedy, Danger & Eggs, which features on Amazon, shared her frustration on Twitter.
Ms Peosky said that when she applied to stay at a home she was refused because the host’s son was going through puberty and she didn’t want him “to feel any discomforts in his own home.”
She added that she had decided to disclose her trans status to protect her safety and be fully honest with her hosts.
In one of her tweets Ms Peosky attached the full explanation from the host for her refusal. The hosts fear for her son did not surprise the 41-year-old, who is used to people using their children’s safety to disguise their transphobia.
Ms Peosky said: “I think that she’s using kind of coded language that is really affecting trans people right now. The idea that we’re negatively impacting kids or hurting children is a really hard thing for trans people. They don’t realise we’re parents too.”
Ms Peosky complained to Airbnb but the company neglected to take any action.
https://twitter.com/shadipetosky/status/739603046821330944
The host was later upgraded to ‘super host’ status which angered the producer even further. The status rewards hosts with multiple 5 star reviews.
Airbnb has since reacted to the outrage on social media and removed the host who refused Peosky after her tweet went viral.
Nick Pappas, Public Affairs Director at Airbnb said to the Guardian: “Discrimination has no place in the Airbnb community. We are conducting a comprehensive review and examining what can be done to ensure we resolve these kinds of issues quickly and help make sure everyone is treated fairly.”
Following the outcry Shadi described herself as an “Accidental Transsexual Travel Activist.”
A woman in Texas was banned from the home-hosting travel site last year after she threw a gay couple out of her home. And in Australia listings that banned LGBT couples were removed.
