A lesbian claimed that cops in Arizona tried to arrest her and her ex-girlfriend for using the women's restroom at a Walmart because they didn't think she was "a girl."
Kalaya Morton is a 19-year-old cisgender female from Phoenix.
She refers to herself as a "stud," which means "An African-American and/or Latina masculine lesbian," according to LGBTQ terminology.
Morton posted a series of TikTok videos relaying last month's incident, starting with a video of cops inside the restroom talking to her and her ex-girlfriend, which went viral with more than 3.7 million views.
She captioned the nine-second clip with the warning, "Studs be careful where u pee."
Viewers were appalled when they saw the male officers conducting an interrogation inside the restroom.
@she_luvv.kayy/TikTok
@she_luvv.kayy/TikTok
@she_luvv.kayy/TikTok
In a follow-up clip with the text overlay "#studlife# Pt1: Tucson cops harassing me!!" Morton explained:
"That was the most craziest of being a stud, I'm not gonna lie."
She said that she and her girlfriend were using the restroom at a Walmart location in Tucson when cops entered and started waving flashlights under the stalls, demanding to know who was inside.
Suspecting she may have been reported by someone who misgendered her, Morton eventually emerged from the stall and immediately lifted her sweatshirt to show law enforcers she was a woman and that she had the right to be using the facilities.
"What's going on, what are we doing?" she said.
One deputy allegedly remained unconvinced Morton was a woman and continued interrogating her since she “looked like a man.”
She told The Advocate in an exclusive interview:
“The only men in the women’s restroom were the cops. That’s what makes this so frustrating. If you think a man is in the restroom, why send male officers instead of female officers?”
In a part 2 TikTok clip, Morton was told that the cops were informed by a caller that they'd seen a man using the women's restroom.
"At that point, I was 'alright, alright, I get it…I do look like a guy.' "
However, she expressed frustration over the continued interrogation, especially after she voluntarily showed physical proof of her gender.
Morton recalled seeing a female cashier who was "eyeballing" her and her girlfriend "hard as hell walking into the restroom" and presumed she was the one who "snitched," alleging "There's a boy in the restroom."
"But at the end of the day, ya'll in the wrong restroom," she said of the cops that barged in, responding to the distress call. "Not me."
In a final update, Morton said she and her ex were escorted out of the restroom and were told to leave the Walmart.
But as soon as they exited, she said they turned back around and went back inside and went about their day.
"I've dealt with cops too many times to be scared of them, so it don't matter if they are sheriff, deputy, sergeant," said Morton, adding:
"You feel me? So, I am suing."
TikTokers were furious about the cops' conduct, and they supported Morton's decision to take legal action.
@she_luvv.kayy/TikTok
@she_luvv.kayy/TikTok
@she_luvv.kayy/TikTok
@she_luvv.kayy/TikTok
@she_luvv.kayy/TikTok
@she_luvv.kayy/TikTok
Morton said of the humiliating bathroom confrontation:
“If someone mistakes me for a guy, I usually just correct them or let it go. But this was different."
"This wasn’t just someone calling me ‘sir’ — this was law enforcement trying to remove me from a bathroom where I had every right to be.”
She continued:
“It’s already enough being Black and facing discrimination. Now I have to worry about being harassed just for needing to pee?”
“This isn’t just about me,” Morton added. “It’s about making sure this doesn’t happen to the next person who just wants to use the restroom without being harassed.”
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that the incident is under internal affairs investigation, according to The Advocate.
The LGBTQ+ magazine obtained a statement from Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos that read:
“The Pima County Sheriff’s Department takes all citizen complaints seriously and investigates each and every one of them.”
Nanos claimed the department never received a complaint but indicated that authorities were aware of Morton's viral video and were “currently looking into the matter.”
The misgendering harassment comes in light of increased attacks from the far-right and conservatives against trans youth across the country.
It also comes as Republican President Donald Trump signs transphobic policies that strip away protections for trans and non-binary people.
Republicans, along with the President, are in the process of developing mandates restricting transgender women and girls from accessing public facilities like restrooms and locker rooms to "protect" cisgender women and girls.
Another anti-trans policy Trump signed off on his first day back in the White House included U.S. citizens selecting one of two genders, male or female, on official documents like passports.
Trump also instructed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to draft a ban on transgender people in the military.
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