Transgender Austin Woman Accuses 6th Street Bar Of Discrimination Over Bathroom Use

AUSTIN, TX — A transgender student at the University of Texas at Austin is accusing a popular 6th Street bar of discrimination after she was asked to leave the establishment after using the bathroom labeled with which she identifies, according to a report.

Cecilia Melchor told KUT she was entertaining an out-of-town friend at the Chuggin' Monkey, 219 E. 6th St., last week when she used the bathroom. Melchor, who has been medically transitioning for the past two years, told the news station a bouncer approached her after she exited the bathroom, asking for her ID.

The bouncer, Melchor said, asked what sex she was and told the transgender women she couldn't use the women's bathroom. Yet the bathroom Melchor used has a capacity for a single person, which is required through city ordinance to be gender neutral. She's now accusing Chuggin' Monkey of violating that local ordinance, she told KUT.

Although the establishments was loud, Melchor captured some of the exchange with the bouncer on her cell phone, audio she provided KUT. In the recording, the bouncer at one point is heard telling Melchor: "Do you want to make it more difficult than it needs to be?" before Melchor was asked to leave.

Contacted by the news station, Chuggin Monkey owner Josh Hazzard denied his bouncer evicted Melchor from his establishment for using the women's restroom. Instead, Hazzard suggested the bouncer was helpfully suggesting Melchor should go upstairs to use their gender-neutral bathroom.

"I don't think it was handled poorly," Hazzard told KUT, instead attributing the miscommunication to what he said was Melchor's emotional state after being confronted.

On Tuesday evening, officials at the Austin Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (AGLCC) said they are closely monitoring the case. In a prepared statement emailed to Patch, AGLCC President and CEO Edgar Gierbolini said the incident illustrates the need to continue advocating for anti-discrimination ordinances, even in a city known for its progressive nature that is Austin.

"While this case is still under investigation and has not been resolved, it does serve as a reminder that work remains in creating a truly inclusive community for LGBTQ business owners, employees and customers in Austin," Gierbolini said. "We must note, however, that Austin does have a strong anti-discrimination ordinance that guarantees our rights are not violated based on sexual orientation, gender identity, race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, disability, student status, marital status, familial status, age or source of income."

A welcoming climate is mutually beneficial, Gierbolini said: "By and large, Austin businesses are LGBTQ-friendly, and AGLCC wants it to stay that way. The overall welcoming attitude of our community and the patronage of local businesses depend on it."

The issue of people's use of bathrooms recently was brought to the fore by Gov. Greg Abbott, who pushed lawmakers to craft laws regulating transgender individuals' bathroom use. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrickran with the proposal, appearing on state and national news outlets justifying the efforts by framing them as a matter of public safety.

In the end, support for the so-called bathroom bill withered away after a lack of support for the measure even among some of Abbott's and Patrick's fellow Republicans averse to participating in crafting a law many saw as discriminatory. The bill failed to gained any traction at both the regular legislative session and an extended summer session Abbott ordered to complete unfinished business.

Still, the AGLCC will continue to monitor legislative efforts to institutionalize transgender-centered regulations aimed at regulating bathroom use at the legislative level.

"In that vein, AGLCC remains steadfastly opposed to any efforts by Texas legislators to discriminate against transgender people by passing the so-called 'bathroom bill,' Gierbolini said. "While the 'bathroom bill' was thwarted during the recent Texas legislative sessions, AGLCC and our many allies continue to fight such hateful, ill-advised legislation."

>>> Read the full story (and listen to audio of the exchange at Chuggin' Monkey) at KUT

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