Dani Davis, who is a 6'4" tall cisgender woman, was fired from a Walmart in Florida where she was employed for seven years after a male customer followed her into the store's restroom and berated her, thinking she was trans.
In a lengthy Facebook post detailing the incident, Davis said Walmart informed her that she was fired because she was a "security risk."
"So, a bit of background for those who've never met me, I am a tall biological woman. I was born a female and I identify as a woman," explained Davis in the Facebook post asking for guidance as she felt "completely lost."
Davis, who is "just shy of 6'4"," had worked full time at Walmart in addition to being a part-time seasonal tax preparer at H&R Block and a certified notary public.
The scary confrontation with the presumptuous customer happened on March 14 when Davis went to use the bathroom around 8 p.m.
Once she was in the stall, Davis said she heard a "man's voice yelling inside the restroom."
"It scared me," she recalled.
You can read her post below.
The man yelled transphobic slurs and threatened to "beat all those p*ssies" and "protect his wife/girlfriend from them."
Davis also said she heard the man's girlfriend from outside the restroom yelling, "Babe, get out! Baby, you gotta get out of here! You're gonna get in trouble."
The couple eventually left, and Davis tentatively emerged from the restroom, fearful for her safety, and managed to avoid conflict with the couple for the rest of her evening shift.
Less than a week later, she was fired.
"The reason they gave for my termination was that I didn't inform a salaried member of management of the incident and that not doing so posed a security risk," said Davis.
She explained that while she did inform her supervisor immediately, they were not a salaried management member; therefore, the incident was deemed a "security risk."
She continued:
"I just.... I don't understand. I was the one followed into the bathroom and I was the one who felt threatened and unsafe.... so I get fired for it? Does this make sense to anyone?"
Davis' mother, Amber Janae, encouraged her daughter to share the story on TikTok, which you can see here.
Social media users were outraged to hear how she was mistreated after being threatened and misgendered, and they strongly encouraged her to seek legal action.
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In an update, Davis said she requested an open-door termination for a chance to appeal but was ultimately informed by the store location's lead that management won't allow the decision to be reversed.
"I also tried to report the incident itself to the Wal-Mart ethics line, but they didn't listen and hung up on me," Davis added.
She said she filed for unemployment and planned to meet with lawyers.
"I do plan to keep fighting and bring more attention to this issue. No one deserves to feel like I did in that situation. No one should be afraid in those more vulnerable moments that we all have," Davis said.
She concluded with:
"It's a scary world right now and I'm gonna do my part to try to make it better."
Her story about being harassed for minding her own business demonstrates how everyone is affected when the rights of marginalized communities, specifically transgender youth, are being taken away by conservative lawmakers catering to the religious right's fixation on social issues.
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reply to San Francisco Chronicle/Facebook by Aubrey Huff
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