A transgender woman alleges that she was thrown out of the nightclub after she used the women’s restroom.
Piper Ayers stated she and her friends went to the Dixie Roadhouse in Cape Coral on Friday expecting “to have fun,” Dixie Roadhouse’s website, which says the club was voted the No. 1 nightclub in all of Southwest Florida, describes it as a “country-themed party bar” that gives to teach customers a way to line dance for free.
A sign at the doorway says, “If you’re racist, sexist, homophobic, or only a jerk… don’t come in.” Despite that message, Ayers stated, she was confronted by security after she used the women’s restroom.
When her friend TJ Jackson requested why Ayers wasn’t authorized to use that restroom, security guards stated they “do not permit guys to use the women’s restrooms,” Jackson said
Ayers stated she and her friends then went to talk to the manager, who instructed Ayers she had to use the facilities which matched the gender listed on her ID, which she hasn’t changed yet.
Sean Kelliher, every other nightclub client who had met Ayers, intervened and attempted to explain the situation to club employees.
“This is a woman, a trans woman, and also, you want to comprehend what that is,” Kelliher said. “This isn’t always a drag queen or a cross-dresser. This is a trans girl, and also, you want to deal with her as a lady.”
But Ayers stated the personnel didn’t recognize this, and “the following thing you know, they seize ahold of me and begin shoving me out the front door.
