A trans woman says she was thrown out of a nightclub in Cape Coral, Florida, after she used the women’s restroom.
Piper Ayers told a local NBC affiliate that she and friends went to Dixie Roadhouse “to have a little fun.” The club’s entrance reportedly features a familiar sign warning potential patrons that “If you are racist, sexist, homophobic, or a jerk…don’t come in.”
But Ayers, who was wearing a skirt and high heels, and her friend TJ Jackson say that after she used the women’s restroom at the club, Ayers was approached by a security guard who told them that the club requires men to use the men’s restroom.
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Ayers says she and Jackson spoke to the club’s manager who told them that the gender indicated on her ID was all that mattered. Ayers has not legally changed her name or gender.
Another club goer, Sean Kelliher, who had only just met Ayers, also tried to help. Kelliher says he told security guards that Ayers “is a woman, a trans woman, and you need to understand what that is. This is not a drag queen or a cross-dresser. This is a trans girl, and you need to treat her as a lady.”
Despite continuous attempts by those involved to explain that she identifies as a woman, Ayers says security escorted her out of the club. “The next thing you know, they grab a hold of me and start shoving me out the front door,” she said.
“I just felt worthless. Like I wasn’t a person, or I didn’t have feelings or emotions,” Ayers said. “Just no respect.”
