Airbnb has removed one its hosts after the owner of the rental property denied a room to a trans woman. However, the suspension comes more than a year after the discrimination took place.
According to BuzzFeed, Shadi Petosky was denied a room when she informed her host that she is transgender.
Petosky said on Twitter that after she disclosed her trans status to the owner of a host property last year, the woman replied, "I appreciate your honesty. I'll have to pass though, but thank you. I have a 13 year old boy going through puberty. I don't want him to feel any discomforts in his own home. Again, thanks for your inquiry & your honesty!"
When Petosky filed a formal complaint with Airbnb at the time of the incident, she heard nothing back.
When contacted by BuzzFeed, however, a spokesman for the company said, "Discrimination has no place in the Airbnb community. We are removing this host from Airbnb.”
Airbnb has come under scrutiny in recent weeks due to purportedly racist practices among its host members, who have been accused of denying rooms to black customers.
Petosky said she “posted about it now because they’ve been getting more scrutiny recently,” saying also that she “had no idea it was going to blow up as much as it did.”
"Ppl don't seem to understand that trans femme people are considered lying monsters who deserve whatever happens to them for tricking folks," Petosky said on Twitter. She said that she informed her host ahead of time for her own safety and to avoid a scene.
"Had I not disclosed I'd be 'dishonest,'" she explained.
