A group of transgender women were forcibly removed from a bar. The incident was caught on video
The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating a Friday incident where a group of transgender women were forcibly removed from a bar after they were allegedly called transphobic slurs by other patrons.
Las Perlas bar in Los Angeles apologized for the incident on Facebook Sunday and said a new security staff — one that has received sensitivity training — is being hired.
"Our first and primary concern, and has been from day one, is to operate a safe place for all people," the bar posted. "Period, no exceptions. We regret that didn't happen Friday night, and want to apologize to all of our guests, including the Transgender community, a community who has come to our bar as well as works there."
The Los Angeles Police Department said on Twitter it is investigating the incident.
"Whether in public, or inside of a private establishment, all Angelenos deserve the freedom to coexist in harmony," the LAPD tweeted Sunday. "Although we cannot comment on an ongoing investigation, rest assured the LAPD will thoroughly investigate the incident at Las Perlas."
Video of the altercation went viral over the weekend.
The footage shows one person being carried out of Las Perlas. It then pans to a woman, identified by The Washington Post and the L.A. Times as Jennifer Bianchi, shouting, "Don't touch me like that," before she is shoved into a wall. Bianchi shoves back and says she needs her shoe before she's carried out as well.
A third woman is put into a chokehold before being forced out.
The incident was recorded by Khloe Rios, according to multiple outlets. Rios is the manager of Transgeneros Unidas with Bienestar Human Services, a Los Angeles-based organization focused on "identifying and addressing emerging health issues faced by the Latino and LGBTQ populations."
The caption on the Facebook post that shared video of the incident said a group of coworkers from Bienestar Human Services was celebrating participation in DTLA (Downtown Los Angeles) Proud.
A couple at Las Perlas began calling the group "transphobic slurs," which led to an argument. Bar security got involved at that point.
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“They were saying that we are not women, that we do not belong there, that we should get out,” Perez-Rios told the Washington Post. “That this was not a bar for us.”
The L.A. Times reported the group filed a hate crime report. By Saturday, there were protests outside the bar and calls for a boycott.
Cedd Moses, CEO of Pouring With Heart, which owns Las Perlas, called the event a "rare and unfortunate incident" in a Saturday Facebook post on Las Perlas' page. He added both groups were asked to leave after a "verbal altercation" broke out and "the guards removed the guests there were not compliant with the manager's request to leave and did so in accordance with company policy."
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He added the bars profits from the weekend would be donated to Bienestar Human Services.