Lucien Alexander Bates and the police that kicked him out – Photos: Facebook
Lucien Bates, a transgender man, says security guards threatened to arrest him after he used the women’s restroom at a Round1 arcade inside the North Riverside Park Mall in suburban Chicago. Bates, an Indiana resident, was visiting the venue on September 28 with his fiancé and a friend to play Dance Dance Revolution.
Bates, who presents as alt-masculine with facial hair and piercings, had just arrived at the arcade when he needed to use the restroom. He chose the women’s restroom, a decision he often makes in public because he feels safer there and is less likely to be harassed.
“I typically feel safer in the women’s restroom, which I guess kind of bit me in the butt this time,” Bates told the Chicago-based LGBTQ newspaper Windy City Times.
Before entering, Bates checked with his fiancé and friend to make sure they were comfortable accompanying him.
“It’s an experience to have to take my friends to the bathroom, because stuff like this does happen, and it’s something that we have to think about often — making that decision about which one to go in, which one’s going to be safer,” Bates told the paper.
A few minutes later, a female security guard entered the restroom and told Bates, “You know you can’t be in here, right?”
Bates said the guard refused to explain her objection, repeating only that he was “not supposed to be in there.”
“Eventually it got to the point where she was like, ‘You need to be in the bathroom that matches your ID,'” Bates said. He refused to show his ID, though his fiancé did present his, which matched the restroom’s gender designation.
The guard called for backup, and three more security guards entered the restroom, insisting Bates didn’t belong there, though they never explained why his presence was supposedly “wrong.”
“They said it was dangerous for us to be in the restroom because children visit the facility,” Bates said.
Bates decided to leave, but when he stepped out of the restroom, more security guards were waiting. He says one guard began screaming in his face and threatening to arrest him.
After leaving the arcade, Bates and his fiancé returned to ask for a manager’s contact information to file a complaint. As soon as they re-entered, a man yelled, “What do you guys want? You have to be out of here.”
Bates began recording a video as they were escorted back outside. When the manager finally came out, he said she told him the issue was “loitering.”
“That’s interesting, because I have not heard the word ‘loitering’ from anyone on your staff until right now,” Bates said, recounting what he told the manager. He called the situation “dehumanizing,” and said the manager simply replied, “Sorry this happened.”
Bates said that while he and his fiancé sat in their car afterward, security guards watched them, with some driving past several times. When they finally left, several guards smiled and waved mockingly.
Bates filed complaints with both Round1 and the mall, and a manager offered to compensate him by adding money to his arcade card.
A representative for Round1 told the Windy City Times that the company is “taking this matter very seriously, and that appropriate corrective measures have been taken.”
“Round1 does not tolerate discrimination of any kind — whether by or toward employees, guests, or third parties (such as security, vendors, or contractors),” the spokesperson said. “This includes, but is not limited to, discrimination based on race, color, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, identity, religion, age or disability.”
Bates says the experience has left him anxious about using public restrooms and hesitant to return to one of his favorite hangouts. He shared his story on social media to warn other transgender and nonbinary people about what happened.
“They ruined my whole day,” Bates said of the security staff and patrons at the arcade. “They ruined a place that I liked, and they had enough people who wouldn’t say anything to get away with what they did.
“Someone got comfortable enough in their workplace that they thought this was appropriate, and enough people felt comfortable letting it happen that it did happen,” he added. “The security is supposed to be there to protect me, and instead, they chased someone out of their facility for using a bathroom.”
Lesbian comedian Jessica Kirson has publicly apologized for performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia, saying she has since donated her entire performance fee.
Part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan to position the kingdom as a global cultural and entertainment hub, the festival drew widespread condemnation from fellow comedians and human rights organizations.
Kirson said she initially viewed the invitation as a chance to give voice to those repressed in the region.
"I'd like to express my sincere regret for having performed under a government that continues to violate fundamental human rights," she wrote in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "I requested a guarantee that I could be openly out as a lesbian on stage and perform gay material. I hoped that this could help LGBTQ+ people in Saudi Arabia feel seen and valued."
An interracial gay couple who run an award-winning farm in King George County, Virginia, say they were the targets of a hate-filled act after someone deliberately dumped medical waste on their property following last week’s state elections.
Kevin Graham, 44, and Dragan Kurbalija, 47, own Gardening Gays Farm, a 27-acre property along U.S. Route 301 where they sell flowers, eggs, seasonal produce, and pasture-raised meats, including lamb and chicken.
They also sell jams, sauces, teas, herbal remedies, local honey, handcrafted candles, and other artisan goods at their on-site store, and share their experiences as farmers on YouTube. The business was recently voted King George County’s “Overall Best Business,” “Best Family-Owned Business,” and “Best Agricultural Business” in a county-sponsored “Best of the Best” contest.
The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled that USA Powerlifting discriminated against a transgender woman by barring her from competition, while sending part of the case back to a lower court for further review.
JayCee Cooper, the transgender athlete at the center of the case, was denied entry into two women's competitions in 2018. At the time, she was taking hormone therapy to lower her testosterone levels and applied for a medical exemption, since the drug was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. That exemption request revealed her transgender status to USA Powerlifting, which then refused to let her compete.
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