(Photo by Ted Eytan)

A transgender woman reported being asked for an ID to use the bathroom at Cuba Libre on Friday night.

“On the other side of the door are the attendant and the manager, who says it’s D.C. law that you must have ‘female’ on your ID to use the women’s restroom. I tell him he’s wrong and there’s no chance I’m showing him my ID,” wrote Charlotte Clymer in a Facebook post.

Despite have the law on her side, the manager eventually kicked her out.

After calling the Metropolitan Police Department, Clymer said she was treated with respect—and officers confirmed that it is illegal in D.C. to deny someone the use of the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity. Her account spread on social media, with Mayor Muriel Bowser, Attorney General Karl Racine, and Chelsea Clinton sending messages of support. Cuba Libre has issued a public apology, though Clymer expressed skepticism that their response would prevent these incidents from happening in the future.

In a tweet, Clymer noted that one of several reasons the confrontation ended the way it did was because she knew her rights under District law.

In 2006, D.C. amended its expansive human rights legislation to include “gender identity or expression” among its protected traits. It’s a powerful law, one that offers a wide-range of protections.

D.C.’s Office of Human Rights encourages people who believe they have experienced discrimination to file a complaint, which is free to do and doesn’t require legal representation.

In 2016, the department received six complaints alleging public accommodation discrimination, along with six complaints of housing discrimination and one of housing discrimination, based on gender identity or expression.

Bathrooms: D.C. is clear that individuals are entitled to use the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity, and that refusing to allow people to do so is considered discriminatory. Still, it doesn’t mean that what happened to Clymer was an anomaly. In 2016, a security guard at a Giant grocery store physically pulled a transgender woman out of a woman’s bathroom. D.C. Police charged the guard with simple assault.

Other gender-specific facilities: It’s not just bathrooms. The law also applies to “locker rooms, dressing rooms, including those located within District of Columbia Public Schools, homeless shelters, group homes, educational institutions, and District offices,” according to OHR.

Single-occupancy bathrooms: District law also requires that all single-occupancy restrooms must be open to any gender, with gender-neutral language. OHR rolled out a public campaign in 2014 asking people to report businesses that failed to comply.

Employment: It is illegal to discriminate based on gender identity in the hiring process. though a 2015 study found that it remains rampant.

Healthcare: Employers are required to provide medical leave for transgender-related needs.

Dress: Employers cannot require that workers wear a uniform that is inconsistent with their gender identity.

Housing: Landlords can’t refuse to rent to transgender people. Homeless shelters are required to house individuals based on their gender identity.

Identification: To change one’s gender on official documentation, an individual only needs to fill out a simple form (no additional documentation is required). The D.C. DMV also offers a third gender option, X, to designate a neutral or non-binary gender identity.