The Weekly Community Newspaper of Associations, CVBs, and Hotels
Women File Discrimination Complaint Against
Boston Hotel Bathroom Confrontation Leads to Lawsuit
By Jordan Bradley
Two women involved in an incident at a May 3 Kentucky Derby-themed party at the Liberty Hotel in Boston have filed a discrimination complaint with the Attorney General’s office against the hotel on May 7.
Ansley Baker and Liz Victor–both cisgendered women and a couple— allege that a hotel security guard confronted Baker while she was using the bathroom. The security guard demanded that Baker leave the bathroom stall, saying “that I was a man in the women’s bathroom. I said, ‘I’m a woman,’” according to CBS News. Victor had been waiting by the sinks for Baker.
The security guard then demanded to see both Baker’s and Victor’s IDs to confirm their genders, which they supplied. Despite verifying their identities, the couple was removed from the event, Victor said in a since-deleted Google May 5 review of the Liberty.
The hotel shared a statement on May 6 that it had concluded the investigation into the May 3 incident and had suspended the security officer “from their position immediately,” according to Boston.com.
In the wake of the incident, the Liberty Hotel “is conducting mandatory retraining for all staff on inclusive practices and guest interaction protocols, with a particular focus on creating a safe and welcoming space for LGBTQ+ individuals.”
The hotel also said it will make a donation to a local LGBTQ+ organization the property has partnered with in the past on International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia on May 17.
“The Liberty Hotel is and always will be an ally of the LGBTQ+ community and a place where everyone is welcome and celebrated,” the hotel’s statement said. “We will continue to educate and train of our team to ensure that everyone feels safe and accepted within our four walls and guests who do not show tolerance and acceptance towards others will be removed.”
This statement contradicts an earlier statement the hotel made to local media that alleged the two women were confronted because they were sharing a bathroom stall and the situation escalated when one of them put their hands on the security guard. According to these earlier statements made to local media, “The Liberty Hotel has a zero-tolerance policy for any physical altercations on our property.”
The couple denied that the incident unfolded this way, saying they had not been sharing a stall and did not touch the security guard.
In a May 6 social media post, Victor said that the hotel’s general manager had called the couple twice to apologize for the incident.
In an interview with the Boston Globe, Victor said the updated statement from the Liberty did not include a public apology, but “it was better than what they put out initially.”
Representatives from the hotel did not return USAE request for comment regarding whether the security guard will be reinstated.
“Let’s talk about that, he said. “Let’s have uncomfortable conversations so that we can learn a little more about each other.”
USAE connected with Ferguson a few weeks after the speech to learn more about his story. Ferguson touched on his industry journey from Savannah to Atlanta to D.C., and he shared a story or two about past experiences. He talked about moving from Washington State and California to the South, and his grandparents, who were of Caribbean and Southern origin, and their experiences with racism.
However, the lion’s share of the Zoom call was occupied by today and tomorrow, including his altered approach to uncomfortable situations, expectations of upcoming generations and using his platform for progress.
As evident from the Visionary Awards Ferguson is not shy about using his pulpit. His message is not conveyed via fire and brimstone, but rather in a measured, thoughtful and straightforward delivery. He has embraced the uncomfortable and will not hesitate to engage in an awkward and difficult conversation when called for.
“Travel has given me the opportunity to learn more, a lot more about how we are alike in terms of human beings and how different we are, and to celebrate our differences versus weaponize them,” he said. “And I say that as a guy that started out in the industry, in the South and Savannah, Georgia. I was in a National Guard, and a lot of the things that I learned along the way were either taught to me by my Southern grandparents or my Caribbean grandparents.”
One of those lessons was how to navigate in a space where you are truly the minority, which is something that he said he learned really quickly.
During his Zoom with USAE, Ferguson shared an anecdote he has mentioned previously. He received an international award and coming off the stage in a tuxedo and was asked by someone to pour them a drink because they thought he was a server.
“My initial reaction, because everybody around me was shocked, was to make them feel comfortable in that situation, and but then I walked away from that situation, and I felt awful,” he said. “I was angry. You know it didn’t disrupt my entire evening, but it was disruptive in terms of the moment of joy that I felt in terms of getting the award, and how moving forward, it’ll be a more of a teachable moment to bring to everyone’s attention. This is something that, if you’re not a white male, mostly, you’re inevitably going to experience something like this that makes you feel uncomfortable.”
In 2020, that approach changed when Ferguson was Chair of U.S. Travel Association. He had conversations with Al Hutchinson and Cleo Battle and Melvin Tennant and a series of other individuals. They talked about things they didn’t talk about to people that don’t look like us, and said it’s time for us to really rethink that.
Learning to gain understanding is paramount to Ferguson.
“I think from 2020 moving forward, I will no longer take that approach (making everyone comfortable),” he said. “You know, I will not throw my glasses of wine in that person’s face or do something like that, but I will make sure that I use that opportunity to not make people feel comfortable, because I’m not comfortable. And I think that’s what it’s all about, learning how to, you know, are we learning from situations like this so that we can do better and we don’t automatically make assumptions about people because of the color of their skin, because of their handicap, because of their sexuality or their sex.”
Ferguson also pointed out younger generations have different expectations.
“There are a lot of leaders that are my age group that were influenced by things that their parents, grandparents, great grandparents said that were maybe negative about or stereotypical about other people,” he said. “How did that impact how you look at people that are not of your race or your gender? And do you see some of that in how you have interacted with people and maybe how you treat yourself, and can you make some corrective measures? Because the expectation of the younger generations is that’s not going to be tolerated.”
Ferguson is ready to have a conversation. He’ll tell you his story and is ready to hear yours as well.
“The space that I’m in in my career has afforded me opportunities to be a voice in the industry, and the thing that I’m happiest about is that I am in a position to make a difference… I’m happy that you called to say, I want to have a conversation based on what was said a few weeks ago at the PCMA event, because that’s what it’s about. How do we have this dialog?
He added: “I don’t need people to say, your speech was great. I want to know that it has made a difference, and that people went back and thought about it and challenged their leadership and are thinking differently because of some of the things that were said to start is that’s, that’s what makes me happy to start a conversation.”
Editor’s note: This interview was conducted before the Brand USA news broke.
Want more content like this? Subscribe for full access to USAE.