A Trans Influencer Was Threatened While Eating At Cheesecake Factory & Nobody Stepped In
It’s not every day that you’re enjoying a meal by yourself at a well-known restaurant chain when another patron comes to you just to insult and threaten you. Well, this is precisely what a trans Instagrammer recently experienced, and nobody stepped in to help her.
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Instagram user and trans influencer Lilly Contino (@lillytino_) was having some food at a Cheesecake Factory location in San Francisco, CA when another woman — self-identifying as a TERF, a trans-exclusionary radical feminist — started yelling at her.
Contino, who recorded and posted the encounter on social media, can be seen enjoying a salad next to her pet when the restaurant customer approaches her asking, "You know I’m a TERF, right?"
With a look of surprise, the Instagrammer continues the conversation with a calm tone in her voice, asking the woman about being a TERF. However, the lady immediately starts insulting the content creator.
"You’re a boy, right? Don’t f*ck with me ‘cause, honestly, I hit. I hit hard," the self-proclaimed TERF can be heard saying on the video. "Don’t judge me for being a TERF. I get to be who I want to be, and you get to be who you want to be, right? If that’s what you want, to be who you want to be, then I get to be who I want to be."
Contino went on to ask the woman what she wanted to be, to which the Cheesecake Factory patron responded with an unexpected answer.
"I’m not a witch," the lady said. "You know what? Take your stupid dog, eat your f*cking food, and get the f*ck out of my life, okay? ‘Cause, otherwise, I’d have to label you a white racist. For a 70-year-old minority woman, you’re a racist. Do you want your rights? I want mine too."
After the woman leaves, the Instagrammer can be seen asking the waiter for the manager, who immediately apologizes for the treatment she received from the other customer.
The restaurant chain staff has made clear their disapproval of the situation.
"No guest should ever be made to feel unwelcome in one of our restaurants, and we are sorry to hear of this incident," Spero G. Alex, Vice President of Operations, told Narcity.
If you or someone you know is struggling with harassment or discrimination related to gender identity or sexual orientation, please reach out to a trusted peer, parent or health care professional or refer to these resources available across the U.S. If you need immediate assistance, please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital. Support is available.
The comment section on Stephanie's viral TikTok.