Kalaya Morton, a 19-year-old cisgender woman from Phoenix, confronted male sheriff's deputies at a Tucson Walmart, where she was mistakenly assumed to be transgender. During a distressing bathroom encounter, deputies aggressively demanded her exit while she was still using the restroom, spotlighted by the ongoing controversy over police enforcement in gendered spaces. Morton captured the incident on TikTok, sparking significant public attention and prompting an internal investigation by the Pima County Sheriff's Department. Her story raises crucial questions about identity, accountability, and the appropriateness of male officers in women's restrooms.
When she finally exited the stall, she said she lifted her shirt to prove she was not a man, expecting the ordeal to end. Instead, she said one deputy continued to question her appearance, insisting she 'looked like a man.' Morton started recording, later posting a 9-second clip to TikTok, where it has since been viewed more than 3.7 million times.
'The only men in the women's restroom were the cops,' Morton told The Advocate. 'That's what makes this so frustrating. If you think a man is in the restroom, why send male officers instead of female officers?'
In an exclusive interview with The Advocate, Morton detailed the humiliating and distressing encounter. She said that she had entered the restroom with her ex-girlfriend, who handed her a tampon, when two male deputies stormed in, shining flashlights into the stall and demanding she exit.
'They were flashing lights on our feet and saying, 'You have to get out of here. You have to come out. We need to talk to you,'' Morton said. 'I'm telling them, 'I'm still using the restroom. I'm sitting down, I'm peeing. What is the issue?''
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