A Creston restaurant has received backlash on Facebook this past week for new bathroom signage.
At Julio鈥檚 Lounge (also home to Romano鈥檚 Runaway Lanes), the signs to the single-occupant stalls now indicate 鈥渂alls at birth鈥� or 鈥渘o balls at birth鈥� next to the traditional symbols for men and women.
A photo of the bathrooms was posted on several nation-wide social media pages asking for a boycott of the business.
鈥淛ulio鈥檚 Lounge doesn't want your business if you are a believer in human rights, safety of all, a trans person, or a lover and supporter of trans people,鈥� the post states.
鈥淚 know a few incredible trans locals who frequented Julio's regularly and praised and recommended it to many. You didn't even know they were trans and were very kind to us. It's pretty sad you decided to go to these lengths to make someone you don't understand feel hated, less than, and unsafe, but that's your prerogative!鈥�
Negative reviews have started pouring in on Julio鈥檚 Facebook and Google pages, some from people outside of Creston, calling out the 鈥渢ransphobic atmosphere鈥� and 鈥渂igoted behaviour.鈥�
Julio's owner Wade Romano has backed up his choice to display the signs, despite the controversial debate it has sparked in the community.
鈥淲hat I find offensive is men in women鈥檚 bathrooms, men in girl sports, people being forced to agree with something that is offensive to them,鈥� he said in a Facebook comment. "Nobody cares."
Romano spoke with Black Press Media on Feb. 25 and said he plans to keep the bathroom signs up for the foreseeable future, adding that business has actually increased since the social media posts.
"It's an adult thing, and you've got to be an adult to have a sense of humour... They're still funny. I don't care. You can twist it however you want, but they're still funny."
When asked if he plans to connect with the local 2SLGBTQ+ community to address concerns, Romano said no. He said the signs won't be removed "unless for some reason somebody forced me to take them down."
He claimed people have been threatening people who work at Julio's, which he said has ruined any chance of discussions.
"You go around saying that stuff about people, trying to ruin their business, trying to shut them down. All it's done is make more people come in."
Romano claims members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community have worked at Julio's, past and present. He added there haven't been any concerns about the signs from employees.
"There's nothing dangerous. There's nothing offensive. Anybody can use any bathroom here, it's not like it's designated one or the other. It's just a joke."
OUTspoken, Creston鈥檚 2SLGBTQ+ community group, have found the public signs at Julio鈥檚 Lounge to be particularly disturbing, whether it was intended as humour or not.
鈥淚'm a 27-year-old non-binary trans person who was born in Creston and have lived here a lot of my life,鈥� said one member, who wishes to remain anonymous. 鈥淲hen I saw the signage posted, I was horrified. I was in a panic, worried that youth would see this and feel the way I had in high school here, unsafe and unwelcome. We should be working towards drawing our community members together, not making exclusionary jokes and hateful remarks."
Shanel Samadhi, spokesperson for OUTspoken, said the actions of this business will continue to cause direct harm, threatening both the mental health and physical safety of transgender people in their community.
鈥淚t sends a clear and damaging message that some human beings are less deserving of respect and dignity than others,鈥� Samadhi told the Advance. 鈥淭his rhetoric fuels hostility and emboldens those with discriminatory beliefs, giving them an invitation to openly express hate in increasingly dangerous and overt ways, forcing many people to live in constant fear.鈥�
As a community built on love, compassion, and unwavering support, OUTspoken wants Creston residents to reflect on how words and actions will shape the reputation and future of the town, especially when it comes to the impact on tourism.
鈥淏y standing together and raising our voices, let us remember that the louder our love, the smaller the hate,鈥� said Samadhi. 鈥淟et us nurture the values of respect, safety, and inclusion for all, while supporting people and businesses that stand for love, not hate.鈥�
OUTspoken can be reached via Facebook messenger or outspoken-creston@hotmail.com.
鈥淔or those who are struggling or feeling unsafe, please know you are not alone,鈥� said Samadhi. 鈥淵ou are welcome to reach out to us at any time.鈥�
For those in need of further support, contact Crisis Services Canada: 1-833-456-4566 (available 24/7 for anyone in crisis), Trans Lifeline: 1-877-565-8860 (available 24/7, for trans people in distress), PFLAG CANADA: 1-888-530-6777 (peer to peer support).
Educational resources on how to better understand the transgender community can be found at www.weareallies.ca and www.transcarebc.ca/education-centre.
