Two women filed a lawsuit against the Liberty Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, after they say a security guard misgendered them and kicked them out of the women’s bathroom.Ansley Baker and her partner, Elizabeth Victor, said they were humiliated and are seeking “to recover actual damages, punitive damages, and reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs.”According to the lawsuit, Baker and Victor were denied the right to use the women’s restroom by a security guard “because of what Ms. Baker looks like and because they are in a lesbian relationship.”The lawsuit said that when the couple objected to the security guard’s behavior, they were thrown out of the hotel.The couple also accused the hotel of defamation, stating in the lawsuit, “instead of simply acknowledging its employee’s discriminatory conduct and apologizing, the Liberty Hotel executives agreed to craft a defamatory statement, knowing it was false, suggesting Ms. Baker and Ms. Victor were kicked out of the Liberty Hotel because they had been engaging in obscene conduct in a stall.”The incident occurred on May 3, 2025, and the security guard in question was suspended.The Liberty Hotel has already settled a discrimination complaint over it and agreed to make a donation to an LGBTQ+ group.In a statement, Liberty Hotel general manager Mark Fischer said in part:”The Liberty Hotel has apologized several times to Ms. Baker and Ms. Victor about their experience and has spent months working with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) to address what occurred and strengthen its practices. We’ve been candid that we can do better, as it has been and remains that all guests should feel welcome at the Liberty Hotel. We recognize that they have a right to bring a lawsuit, but we unequivocally deny discriminating or retaliating against them in any way.”
Two women filed a lawsuit against the Liberty Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, after they say a security guard misgendered them and kicked them out of the women’s bathroom.
Ansley Baker and her partner, Elizabeth Victor, said they were humiliated and are seeking “to recover actual damages, punitive damages, and reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs.”
According to the lawsuit, Baker and Victor were denied the right to use the women’s restroom by a security guard “because of what Ms. Baker looks like and because they are in a lesbian relationship.”
The lawsuit said that when the couple objected to the security guard’s behavior, they were thrown out of the hotel.
The couple also accused the hotel of defamation, stating in the lawsuit, “instead of simply acknowledging its employee’s discriminatory conduct and apologizing, the Liberty Hotel executives agreed to craft a defamatory statement, knowing it was false, suggesting Ms. Baker and Ms. Victor were kicked out of the Liberty Hotel because they had been engaging in obscene conduct in a stall.”
The incident occurred on May 3, 2025, and the security guard in question was suspended.
The Liberty Hotel has already settled a discrimination complaint over it and agreed to make a donation to an LGBTQ+ group.
In a statement, Liberty Hotel general manager Mark Fischer said in part:
“The Liberty Hotel has apologized several times to Ms. Baker and Ms. Victor about their experience and has spent months working with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) to address what occurred and strengthen its practices. We’ve been candid that we can do better, as it has been and remains that all guests should feel welcome at the Liberty Hotel. We recognize that they have a right to bring a lawsuit, but we unequivocally deny discriminating or retaliating against them in any way.”
