Hotel calls 911 on transgender woman

Meagan Taylor and her best friend, who are both transgender women, were traveling through Iowa on July 13 to a funeral for her best friend’s brother when they stopped at Drury Inn & Suites in West Des Moines. ... Hotel staff called 911 to tell police about “somebody that is a little unusual that is checking into the hotel,” according to a recording recently obtained through a records request by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU, which is representing Taylor in her complaint, shared the recording with BuzzFeed News. In the 911 call, a woman who identifies herself as the general manager says she was concerned because Taylor is “dressed as a woman, but it’s a man’s driver’s license.” She also wanted police to “make sure they’re not hookers either.” ... Police arrived at the hotel room the next day, according to Taylor’s complaint, and officers found hormones she takes as part of a medical treatment for gender dysphoria. She was arrested for not having a prescription, then jailed for a few days in solitary confinement. ... “This ordeal was humiliating, scary, and traumatizing,” Taylor concluded in her complaint. “I felt powerless and degraded. I realized I was not welcome in a public place simply because of who I am. Through no fault of my own, I was targeted, harassed, arrested, and forced to miss a funeral simply because I chose to stay at a hotel where I was unwelcome.”