Lambda Legal filed a complaint on behalf of Amira Gray, a trans woman who was given a restaurant receipt with anti-LGBT language printed on it. During an evening out with friends at Bistro 18, a restaurant in Washington, D.C., Gray says a server repeatedly ignored her group. At the end of the night, the server presented the group with a receipt that said "GAY BITCHES" written in the space where a customer's name would go.
Gray said,
When my friends and I saw the receipt, we were humiliated and embarrassed. We went in planning to enjoy Bistro 18 just like everyone else in the hookah bar that evening, but it turned into a disturbing experience. I am standing up for my friends and me because I don't think anyone should have to go through that.
Lambda Legal filed the complaint in the Washington, D.C., Office of Human Rights arguing that Bistro 18 violated the DC Human Rights Act by discriminating against Gray based on her actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and sex in a place of public accommodation.
Dru Levasseur, Lambda Legal Transgender Rights Project Director, said:
Discrimination against LGBT customers is a widespread problem that often goes unaddressed in businesses across the country. That this happened in Washington, D.C., where LGBT people have strong protections from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and personal appearance, points out the importance of ensuring existing laws are enforced. By standing up for herself and her friends, Amira is taking a stand for all LGBT people who are targeted by businesses for unequal treatment because of who they are.