Black trans woman kicked out of gay bar in ‘discrimination’ row that ‘shouldn’t have happened’
Trans TikTok user gmoprincess says she was discriminated against at a Michigan gay bar (Image: TikTok/gmoprincess | Getty Images)
A Black transgender woman has alleged she was targeted by anti-Black and anti-trans discrimination during an ID check at Soho, a gay bar in Ferndale, Michigan, and warned others in a viral TikTok video after the venue issued an apology.
Lauren, who posts as @gmoprincess, said the incident happened in the early evening of Thursday 14 April. She said she presented her state ID to a bartender and was told it was not valid.
Lauren said she had used the same ID at other bars without a problem, including at Soho three weeks earlier. She also said she received a REAL ID-compliant state ID last year that shows her birth name and female gender marker.
She said staff gave shifting reasons for rejecting it, including claiming there was a hologram issue, saying it was invalid or fake, and later saying a state ID was not acceptable compared with a driver’s licence. Lauren said the confrontation left her “literally shaking” and “extremely anxious”.
“I asked her very directly, ‘Are you being discriminatory? Because this feels like discrimination,’” Lauren said, and later added: “‘You think that white people can’t be racist? You think that gay people can’t be transphobic?’” She also said the staff member then “accused [her] of being ‘cisphobic’”.
Lauren alleged the bartender told her to leave and threatened to call the police, and that other patrons then “dogpiled” on her, telling her to get out. She said the manager later apologised for the bartender’s actions and described the behaviour as “unprofessional”.
Lauren said she is considering filing a complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.
Apology and statement
Soho later issued a public apology, as per the Detroit Metro Times, saying: “The way the interaction was handled did not meet our standards.”
In a further statement, the bar said: “The interaction escalated in a way that should not have happened.” It added: “We do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or disrespect toward any patron, including trans patrons, patrons of colour, or anyone else who comes through our doors,” and said it was reinforcing expectations around respectful communication, de-escalation, and ID verification.
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