A Washington, D.C. Cuban restaurant has been fined $7,000 and its employees forced to undergo “transgender sensitivity training” because the manager asked a transgender man for his ID after he entered a restroom.
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine said that the restaurant, Cuba Libre, violated the D.C. Human Rights Act by trying to prevent “human rights activist” Charlotte Clymer from using the ladies room.
Clymer has promoted transgender rights through the Human Rights Campaign, a progressive group. Clymer recounted how, on the evening of June 22, 2018, a restaurant employee followed her into the bathroom and then, upon exiting, the restaurant manag,er requested identification. After a brief quarrel, Clymer showed the manager the legislation that protects the right to use the bathroom of a person’s choice.
The D.C. Human Rights Act protects “gender identity or expression” in discrimination in housing, employment, public accommodations and educational institutions. The Trump administration is considering a federal policy that would end recognition of gender identity and define sex in a purely biological way. It is also trying to remove transgender military personnel from the armed forces.
No warning. No citation. Just, WHAM — eat that, you miserable transphobe. It’s doubtful the manager knew he was violating the law until Mr./Ms. Clymer showed him the statute. But “justice” demands punishment, so the restaurant manager and employees will be forced to care.
Racine also promised that he would “clarify” the powers he has as attorney general to target those alleged to run afoul of the human rights act.
“The District’s laws reflect one of our residents’ most deeply-held values: that all people should be treated equally,” Racine told the Post. “With this settlement, Cuba Libre is required to maintain policies that will ensure this type of discrimination does not happen again.”
Cuba Libre co-owner Barry Gutin told the Post that his establishment has not only complied with the district’s ruling as far as the training and signs are concerned but is envisioning offering sensitivity training to other restaurants in town in order to “help understand the challenges of the LGBTQ community.”“Our focus now is to help ensure safety for D.C.’s transgender community at all area restaurants,” he said.
You must not only comply with the law. You must enthusiastically embrace it. This is the new cultural reality and, by God, all of us old-fashioned thinkers who believe that there are some aspects of humanity that are immutable better get on the transgender bandwagon or risk being sent to “sensitivity training” camps… er, classes.
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