INDIO, Calif. (CelebrityAccess) The American Civil Liberties Union has sent a letter to Anschutz Entertainment Group on behalf of two transgender siblings and threatening a lawsuit, claiming that the trans pair was turned away from bathrooms at Coachella.
The festival needs to ensure that all future events comply with California’s anti-discrimination law that requires business establishments to provide equal accommodations to facilities, according to The Palm Springs Desert Sun.
In the letter, lawyers Amanda Goad and Stephen Hicklin claim the festival’s treatment of Donavion “Navi” Huskey and Taiyande “Juice” Huskey violated the Unruh Civil Rights Act,
“Refusing people access to the restroom which corresponds to their gender identity constitutes a denial to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privilege or services of a business establishment,” the lawyers write in the letter. “California law is clear across various contexts that individuals have the right to access restrooms (and other gender-segregated facilities) in accordance with their gender identity.”
Navi and Juice, who identify as a transgender woman and a transmasculine respectively, said they were stopped by security when attempting to use festival restrooms but that no festival-goers objected to their presence.
“This is not reflective of the safe and inclusive festival culture that we strive for, and this behavior is intolerable,” Coachella’s statement said. “We are reaching out to invite both Navi and Juice to our offices to help us perfect this program for 2019 for all patrons of any gender identity or expression, sex, sexual orientation, race, religion, age, or ability.”
