A woman wearing a
T-shirt promoting the website Lesbian.com says she was
booted from the Federal Building in Van Nuys, Calif., Monday
by a security guard who was apparently offended by her
shirt, the Associated Press reported.
According to the
Los Angeles Daily News, 31-year-old Lapriss
Gilbert said she was getting a Social Security card
for her son when a guard threatened her with arrest if she
did not leave the building.
Gilbert was
eventually allowed back in the building after her mother
called the police, according to the Daily News.
The guard, whose
name was not made available to the press, works for
Paragon Security, contracted by the Department of Homeland
Security. A spokesperson for the department
immediately classified the guard's actions as
inappropriate, saying they had notified Paragon of their
position on the matter.
According to
Gilbert, the guard waved a document in her face -- the Rules
and Regulations Governing Conduct on Federal Property --
claiming it was proof he had the right to escort her
from the building.
According to the
AP, the document says nothing about clothing.
"As an
African-American and a lesbian, I haven't been through one
day without facing some sort of discrimination,"
Gilbert told the AP. (The Advocate)
