Overview

• During a Kentucky Derby event on May 3, a Liberty Hotel security guard accused Ansley Baker, a cisgender woman, of being a man in the women’s restroom and demanded she leave.
• The guard reportedly checked IDs and escorted Baker and her girlfriend, Liz Victor, out of the hotel after a heated exchange, prompting public outcry from the couple.
• The Liberty Hotel initially alleged the couple shared a bathroom stall and engaged in physical altercations, claims the couple strongly denies.
• Following an investigation, the hotel suspended the security guard, initiated inclusive staff retraining, and committed a donation to a local LGBTQ+ organization.
• The incident highlights broader issues of gender policing and discrimination in public spaces, occurring against a backdrop of heightened anti-trans rhetoric and rising hate crimes in Massachusetts.