A group of gay rights activists descended on a West Village restaurant last night to protest an incident last summer when it had ejected a lesbian from the ladies room for looking too masculine.
The 40-strong crowd assembled at 5.30 p.m. on Seventh Avenue and Bleecker Street outside the Mexican restaurant, Caliente Cab Company, where the incident had taken place.
The protesters formed a circle on the pavement outside and spent 20 minutes chanting ‘No justice, no nachos’ and ‘Caliente Cab is not so hot’, and parading signs with the slogans saying “Freakin’ Fag Revolution” and “Smash Gender”.
The incident had taken place on 24th June 2007 after New York City’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride March. Khadijah Farmer, 28, a lesbian, was using the women’s restroom at Caliente’s when a male bouncer came and ejected her from the restroom and restaurant because he said he believed she was a man and using the wrong bathroom.
A lawsuit against the restaurant has now been filed by Farmer, who works as a counselor at a residential treatment center for drug addicts. “I showed them ID to prove I wasn’t a man,” said Farmer at the demonstration. “It has happened before but I was never thrown out. This was way out of control. It makes me very sad that this can happen in 2007 in the West Village.”
Silverstein said his client had file her suit under the New York Human Rights Law, which outlaws discrimination on the basis of any outward manifestation of gender. He said they were also filing under state law which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex.
In response, the Caleinte Cab Company released a statement to the press which said that Farmers motives were suspect: “The complainant is not interested at all in getting at the truth here,” it said. “She is threatening continuous weekly protests of our business rather than expose the facts to the light of day in an appropriate forum.”
The statement from Caliente Company claimed that Farmer’s main priority had been monetary gain and the suit does ask for compensation. “The complainants representatives would not discuss any issues, nor consider the overwhelming evidence contradicting complainant’s allegations, without a prior promise of serious monetary compensation to the complainant,” their statement said.
Andrew Velez, 68, a psychoanalyst who was demonstrating, said: “Farmer was discriminated against because she doesn’t look like a traditional woman, it’s a disgrace, she showed them ID, but she was still ordered to leave. We’ve been picketing for several days now and we will continue.”
As Farmer and her attorney were being interviewed about 15 minutes into the protest two hecklers shouted “Money grabber!” from the sidewalk. The workers and management of Caliente Cab watched on passively throughout the protest.
After the demonstration there was a rally at which Farmer, Silverstein and the Rev. Anthony Johnson of the Church of New York made speeches. “We should all show solidarity as we are all God’s children,” said Rev. Johnson. “It was such a blatant act of discrimination and that is totally wrong.”
Farmer’s mother, Eliyah, was also there. “I’m really glad to see all the support today,” she said. “I told her, ‘You cannot let this happen to you’, it’s completely outrageous that she’s been discriminated against for the way she looks!”
The Caliente Cab statement ended in resolute fashion. “There has been no discrimination or violation of anyone’s civil rights or human dignity by Caliente Cab Company or anyone employed here,” it read.
Tim A. Vincent, 45, was passing by on his way to a meeting about narrative medicine at nearby restaurant Sushi Samba. “It’s ironic really,” he said, “I just got in from Lebanon, Ohio, and we don’t have any experiences like this in Lebanon, I’m probably the only Republican at this demonstration, but I agree with what the Reverand said about rights for all, that’s got to be our aspiration, I totally support this woman in her fight.”
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