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D.C. Restaurant Fined $7,000 for Discriminating Against a Trans Woman

"We are not going anywhere," says writer and activist Charlotte Clymer, who refused to let the transphobic incident slide.

A restaurant in Washington, D.C., is paying a hefty price for discriminating against a transgender patron.

Last June, trans activist, writer, and HRC communications team member Charlotte Clymer was asked by staff at Cuba Libre restaurant to see her ID before she could use the women's restroom. When she refused, Clymer was forcibly removed from the restaurant, as NewNowNext previously reported. She ended up calling police and reporting the incident, which she claimed violated the District's human rights laws prohibiting gender-based discrimination.

According to The Washington Post, D.C.'s Attorney General Karl A. Racine has announced that Cuba Libre will pay a $7,000 penalty fine to the District for breaching the law and discriminating against Clymer.

Fine aside, Racine also stated that all staff at Cuba Libre must undergo comprehensive training on D.C.'s gender identity laws. The restaurant must also post a sign that reads, "All individuals are allowed to use the restroom that corresponds to their gender identity or expression."

Cuba Libre co-owner Barry Gutin said in a statement obtained by The Post that his focus now is "to help ensure safety for D.C.’s transgender community at all area restaurants." True to his word, he plans to open the legal training sessions to all local restaurant employees.

Clymer tells NewNowNext that she's pleased with the resolution and grateful to Racine, his team, and D.C.'s police force for treating her with professionalism and ensuring Cuba Libre's compliance with local laws. "Most of all, I'm grateful to D.C. trans activists, particularly trans women of color, who spent decades fighting for the laws that protected me that night," she adds. "This result is because of their hard work."

But most LGBTQ Americans don't have legal protections like this, she says, and that's precisely why it's so important for LGBTQ people to push their local lawmakers to enact non-discrimination protections.

Clymer's words of wisdom for trans people who encounter discrimination and want to pursue legal action? "Don't back down," she advises. "We are not going anywhere, and we will not be erased."

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