The woman was not only forced to leave but banned for life from the hotel after security guards asked to see her identification following a trip to the restroom earlier this month. "Upon leaving the restroom,
says, two security men whisked her out of the hotel, told her that she was trespassing on Cosmopolitan property and that she would be arrested if she did not leave," the Las Vegas Weekly reports. "She says that they photographed her (and her driver’s license) and told her that she was banned from ever returning to the hotel."
The Cosmopolitan — a new Strip property known as trendy and gay-friendly — released an apology Tuesday: “The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is committed to maintaining a community that recognizes and values the inherent dignity of every person, by fostering sensitivity, understanding and mutual respect of our guests and employees.
“We sincerely regret any misunderstanding or inappropriate actions that any member of our staff may have taken. And to ensure increased sensitivity within this area, the organization will focus on continued training and on-going awareness initiatives. In addition, we apologize to the individual guest and welcome her back to the resort anytime.
“We would like to apologize to the LGBT community and anyone concerned and hope to demonstrate our firm dedication to fair and unbiased treatment of all.”
http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/04/27/Vegas_Hotel_Apologizes_to_Trans_Woman/
From what I've read, her license still listed her sex as 'male.' The guards also asked her if she was at the hotel 'working', even though she told them she was staying at the hotel attending a conference. Yet another example of the bias trans people face when trying to safely access or merely use public accommodations without an incident.
http://www.towleroad.com/2011/04/las-vegas-hotel-bans-trans-woman-for-life-for-using-bathroom.html
Imagine how it would feel if you had to think about whether or not this could happen to you every time you wanted to use the bathroom. The bathroom was, this case, completely empty.