A mom in Northern California was asked by a sporting goods store to leave after she complained about an incident where a man entered a women's restroom while her daughter was using it.
According to a press release by the Pacific Justice Institute, the man entered the bathroom at the REI store in Santa Rosa while the woman's 12-year-old daughter and her 10-year-old friend were using it last Aug. 24.
She said when they left the store, the girls were upset and when asked about it, they said a man entered the restroom while they were there.
The mother, an advocate of victim's rights, returned to the store to notify management of their safety and privacy concerns, saying it only takes seconds for girls to be molested.
However, the store manager said they don't decide who people are or what they can do. The manager told the woman that she should not be making anti-gay remarks and promptly told her to leave the store. Obscenities were then allegedly hurled by other patrons at the mother and her daughter as they drove out of the parking lot.
Pacific Justice Institute said it is sending a letter to both the REI store in Santa Rosa and REI corporate headquarters in Washington State, demanding to know whether the complainant, identified only by her first name Michelle, is still welcome at the store and what steps the retailer is taking to protect the safety and privacy of customers using public restrooms.
The letter points to California's civil rights laws, the building code mandating gender-specific restrooms, and the right to privacy in the California Constitution.
"Retailers and other places of public accommodation face significant liability if they do not take adequate steps to ensure the safety and privacy of their restrooms. This incident raises serious concerns about the policies and practices of REI, and it appears that political correctness is putting young girls at risk," said Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute.
