Courtney Crowder

ccrowder@dmreg.com

The case of a black, transgender woman who alleged she was harassed at a local hotel because of her gender identity and race has been resolved, according to an update posted on the ACLU of Iowa's website.

“The ACLU of Iowa is pleased to report we have successfully settled Meagan Taylor’s case to the satisfaction of the parties involved,” the post read.

The ACLU declined to comment on the details of the settlement or whether or not the parties are bound by a confidentially agreement.

“We can’t provide any more information or greater detail,” said Veronica Fowler, spokeswoman for the ACLU of Iowa.

In November, Taylor filed a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission claiming the harassment occurred in July when she and a friend stopped for the night at the West Des Moines Drury Inn. The pair were traveling through Des Moines on their way from Illinois to a funeral in Kansas City.

After they checked in and went to their room, a hotel manager called the police. She described their dress as “a little bit over the top” and said she wanted to make sure “they’re not hookers,” according to a 911 call. Taylor was arrested and charged with possession of prescription drugs without a prescription and malicious prosecution, a charge generated after she gave a fake name, West Des Moines police said. She spent eight days in segregation before supporters raised enough money for her bond. The charges against her have since been dropped.

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Gender identity, or the gender with which a person identifies, has been included in the Iowa Civil Rights Act for almost a decade, meaning transgender Iowans have legal protections against discrimination in education, employment, housing and public accommodations.

“What happened to Meagan was simply unacceptable and un-Iowan,” Rita Bettis, legal director of the ACLU of Iowa, said in the post.

“Meagan’s case garnered national attention, and has been an important reminder to those in the criminal justice system and who run businesses and other public accommodations in Iowa that transgender people are explicitly protected by our civil rights laws from discriminatory treatment,” she said in the post.

Despite the lack of details on the deal, local advocates looked upon the settlement favorably.

“I am pleased that something that started so horrific for a trans woman has finally been resolved,” said Donna Red Wing, director of the LGBT advocacy group One Iowa. “I can only imagine that the Drury Inn had to take some responsibility for what their employees did and the way Meagan was treated."

Nate Monson of Iowa Safe Schools, another LGBT advocacy group, agreed.

“This is great news because what happened to Meagan was an atrocity that does not represent Iowa values," he said. "I hope businesses and community members will open their doors to transgender individuals and learn from this experience that discrimination against transgender people will not be tolerated in the state of Iowa.”