A man visiting a Petco in Ohio with his dog gave an incredible rant when he discovered that the store offered a gender-neutral restroom. He shouted at the employees before leaving the store in a rage.
The Cleveland-area man’s episode was captured on video and posted to TikTok and has quickly gone viral.
@rach.ariannaGender neutral bathrooms. Screaming at employees over gender neutral bathrooms. @Petco employees handled this so well, major props to them! #makeracistsafraidagain #snowflakes #republicansoftiktok #pride #publicfreakout
“This is stupid,” he shouted, gesturing toward the restroom. People “have had enough with that crap!” he complained. “I don’t care what your policy is!”
The agitated man’s small dog appeared distressed by the situation as it pulled in the opposite direction, unclear about what was happening.
The man turned toward the exit, apparently having been asked to leave, then stopped and spun around.
“Stop with the gender-neutral sh*t!" he barked. “Men and women are different!”
“So what?” a voice interjected.
An employee also responded, “We don’t have an option.”
Having walked almost entirely out of the store, the man turned and demanded, “Pass it up the chain!”
As the man’s back was visible, one could read that his shirt had written on it, “We the people are pissed off,” beneath a U.S. flag. He then left the store without further incident, leaving people looking shocked and confused.
The incident comes shortly after Ohio Republican legislators introduced a bill banning transgender students from using bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. As required by House Bill 183, schools and colleges must designate separate bathrooms, locker rooms, and shower rooms for male and female students based on their sex assigned at birth.
Additionally, the legislation would prevent students assigned male at birth from accessing facilities designated for those assigned female at birth and vice versa. Moreover, students of opposite sexes assigned at birth would not share overnight accommodations.
Gender-neutral bathrooms are accommodations that businesses and government entities often add to their layouts in addition to gendered restrooms.