Complaint filed in transgender woman's arrest at hotel

[Ayla]

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa —The ACLU has filed a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission against a West Des Moines hotel.

The lawsuit against the Drury Inn alleges gender and race discriminating against Meagan Taylor, of St. Louis, a black transgender woman.

Taylor, 22, was in town last July on her way to a funeral.

The ACLU said hotel staff called police on July 13 to report that they suspected Meagan and her friend were engaging in prostitution, because they were "men dressed like women." Police said the women gave a fake name and they found prescription drugs in a purse.

The ACLU said the experience left Taylor traumatized.

"For Meagan, a stop at a hotel on the way to a funeral landed her in solitary confinement because she is Black and transgender. This type of profiling of transgender women of color is all too common and is part of the cycle that results in 41 percent of Black transgender women having been incarcerated at some point in their lives," said Chase Strangio, attorney in the ACLU's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Project in a news release. "Such blatant discrimination and violation of Iowa law on behalf of hotel staff who called law enforcement to remove and arrest paying customers cannot be tolerated."   

www.kcci.com/news/complaint-filed-in-transgender-womans-arrest-at-hotel/36365178    

[Ayla]

This story is even more deplorable as further coverage says:

"At some point between check-in and the next morning, the ACLU statement says, Drury Inn staff members called the police to report that they suspected Taylor and her friend were prostitutes because they were “men dressed like women,” and Taylor was arrested and held in solitary confinement.

Local police charged Taylor with possessing hormone pills without a copy of the prescription, but those charges were later dropped.

“This ordeal was humiliating, scary and traumatizing,” Taylor said in the complaint. “I realized I was not welcome in a public place simply because of who I am.”

[Ayla]

Further detail from The Guardian


Transgender woman jailed for eight days sues Iowa hotel


Meagan Taylor jailed after hotel staff at the Drury Inn called police to report ‘men dressed like women’ were engaging in prostitution, ACLU complaint alleges

.. After the women checked into their room, staff called police to report that they suspected the two hotel guests, described as “men dressed like women”, were engaging in prostitution, according to the lawsuit. The next morning, the women were woken up by loud bangs on the door.

The lawsuit alleges that the Drury Inn discriminated against Taylor based on her gender identity and race, a violation of state law which defines gender identity as “a gender-related identity of a person, regardless of the person’s assigned sex at birth”.

“For Meagan, a stop at a hotel on the way to a funeral landed her in solitary confinement because she is black and transgender,” said Chase Strangio, attorney in the ACLU’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Project, in a statement. “This type of profiling of transgender women of color is all too common and is part of the cycle that results in 41% of black transgender women having been incarcerated at some point in their lives.”

In the complaint, Taylor describes her ordeal as “humiliating, scary and traumatizing”.

She said that the hotel staff were suspicious of her and her friend from the moment they arrived, casting “disgusted” glances their way and whispering about them as if they weren’t there. At one point, the front desk clerk asked to make a copy of Taylor’s ID card even though the hotel had already processed her payment, she says in the complaint. The ID reflected Taylor’s birth name and gender because she said that she could not afford to legally change her name and update her documents.

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West Des Moines police said that they were notified of “two males dressed as females who checked into the Drury Inn”, and that the hotel staff expressed concern about “possible prostitution activity”.

.. When the police searched their hotel room the following morning, the found no evidence of prostitution. However, Taylor was arrested and charged with possessing her hormone pills without a copy of the prescription, as well as two other charges.

She spent eight days in Polk County jail, several of them in solitary confinement, before activists raised enough money to post bond.

All charges were later dropped.

“As a black trans woman, I am used to unfair and discriminatory treatment, but this was extra upsetting because we were paying customers at a hotel and on our way to a funeral,” Taylor, 23, wrote in a post published on the ACLU’s website. “I felt like I had no rights.”

..  Local residents staged a small protest in support of Taylor outside the Drury Inn following news of her arrest. Pastor Megan Rohrer, who heads Welcome, a San Francisco-based LGBT outreach program, raised over $5,500 to cover Taylor’s $2,000 bond and for fines related to an earlier charge. The additional funds will be used to help Taylor pay for her name change and an ID that matches her preferred gender identity.

“When I came out as transgender, I expected I would experience some discrimination, but I didn’t know how strong it would be,” Taylor wrote. “When something bad happens, I try to think about things and sort out why they happened. When this all happened, I knew exactly what it was: the racial profiling, the transgender profiling, the harassment, the solitary confinement. I knew why it was happening, and I knew it wasn’t right.”

The Drury Inn did not respond to a request for comment.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/nov/10/transgender-woman-jailed-iowa-drury-inn   

[Deleted]

OK for the benefit of the doubt for the cops. If she had prescription pills and the label on the bottle was not her name on her license or ID card then yeah, that is a crime but they dropped the charges so it must have been legit. As for solitary. It was for her own protection. It sux but Des Moines is not really a big city and I'm sure the jails are limited. As for the eight days? That is total ridiculous BS. That should have been figured out in less than an hour and at the most a day. All they had to do was call the pharmacy and the prescribing doctor to verify. If it was some OTC hormone pills then that is purely legal. Like Estroven that I can buy at Wal-Mart. I give the police a lot of leeway but eight days? Really? Even in Des Moines, they have telephones, computers and all kinds of access to information.

As for the Drury Inn. It sounds like they really need to have a serious corporate discussion on diversity even in Des Moines. Just because a woman walks in that they believe to be guys and unless they have any proof or prostitution then they need to pay up.

Drury Inn. Is there anyway you can get the address Aisla. It sounds eerily like a Motel next to the TA Truck stop just east of Des Moines on I 80. If so I have stayed there before and was a little feminine in skinny jeans and a cute little top with nail polish but the name may have really messed them up on my CDL. And I got the Truck Driver discount. Oh I wasn't prostituting but another driver I knew that knew who I was and liked it came and slept in the room We were BF and TGF for a while. So.... They actually gave him a key card. I wasn't busted. But we spent the whole 3 day weekend together and he was the only guy that came to the room. OMG I got looks from some at the desk that seemed a little confused and told them that I am a trans woman truck driver. And then asked them if there was a problem.

Giving the cops the benefit of the doubt and the desk clerks nothing other than being transphobes. If this woman had prescription pills without a script in her name then that is against the law. But not eight days worth of being in jail in solitary confinement with the charges eventually dropped. Eight fucking days? Really? She does have a good case and I would sue the city of Des Moines and then go after the Drury Inn brand. Hell I would spend eight days in jail for false arrest and transphobia and discrimination if I could become a multi millionaire in the end. She has one hell of a case or so it seems.

[Ayla]

Jamie

Appears that their address is:

Drury Inn & Suites West Des Moines  

3-star hotel
This modern hotel in an urban setting is 4.7 from the Living History Farms open-air museum, and within 12 miles of the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden and the Blank Park Zoo. …
Address: 5505 Mills Civic Pkwy, West Des Moines, IA 50266, United States
Phone:[phone]

I note that they didn't mention transphobic staff anywhere in their ad

[Ayla]

I Was Arrested Just for Being Who I Am - A personal account of this incident

... When I came out as transgender, I expected I would experience some discrimination, but I didn't know how strong it would be. When something bad happens, I try to think about things and sort out why they happened. When this all happened, I knew exactly what it was: the racial profiling, the transgender profiling, the harassment, the solitary confinement. I knew why it was happening, and I knew it wasn't right. I knew something had to change. To experience so many levels of discrimination makes you feel like less of a person. I want to stand up for myself and other Black and transgender people. And so I did.

www.huffingtonpost.com/meagan_taylor/i-was-arrested-just-for-b_b_8538226.html?utm_hp_ref=transgender&ir=Australia

[Deleted]

You know. You would think people in the Hospitality industry such as hotels, motels, restaurants and so on would expect and be a little more not surprised by things as much as other people.

When traveling, I try to use motels close or next to truckstops. If they are decent enough and not just used for prostitution.  Yes there are some but they aren't the kind that you really want to stay at but there are some nice motels next to truckstops that are clean, the clerks, the cleaners, the restaurant staff and security have usually seen many different people across many different spectrums because they do deal with a lot of drivers and truckdrivers are just as diverse as the LGBT community. A lot are actually LGBT themselves.

Some places away from major traveler's areas can be a little less than hospitable especially in a small city like Des Moines. Nothing against Des Moines and I am sure they have an average per capita of LGBTs but you would really have to know the area. But usually around the truckstops or fuel stops are the safest bet because chances are that the people that work in and close to there have seen it all. I know I have or just about all.