A Black 19-year-old cisgender lesbian from Phoenix is demanding accountability after she was confronted by two male sheriff’s deputies in a Tucson Walmart women’s restroom last week.
Arizona resident Kalaya Morton, who describes herself as a stud, or masculine-presenting woman, says the deputies were called by a store employee who allegedly assumed she was a transgender woman.
In an exclusive interview with The Advocate, Morton detailed the humiliating and distressing encounter. She said that she had entered the restroom with her ex-girlfriend, who handed her a tampon, when two male deputies stormed in, shining flashlights into the stall and demanding she exit. Morton, still using the toilet, was stunned.
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“They were flashing lights on our feet and saying, ‘You have to get out of here. You have to come out. We need to talk to you,’” Morton said. “I’m telling them, ‘I’m still using the restroom. I’m sitting down, I’m peeing. What is the issue?’”
When she finally exited the stall, she said she lifted her shirt to prove she was not a man, expecting the ordeal to end. Instead, she said one deputy continued to question her appearance, insisting she “looked like a man.” Morton started recording, later posting a 9-second clip to TikTok, where it has since been viewed more than 3.7 million times. “They came in here in the girls’ restroom because I’m a girl and they didn’t think I was a girl, so they tried to come take me away,” she says in the video.
@she_luvv.kayyStuds be careful where u pee😂😂#tuscon #badcops #sheriff #lgbt🌈 #lgbt #stud #notlikeus #cantbestopped #Super #fox #drake #viral #vibe #vibes #newyear #2025 #wtf #fypage #foryoupage #funyy #dance
“The only men in the women’s restroom were the cops,” Morton told The Advocate. “That’s what makes this so frustrating. If you think a man is in the restroom, why send male officers instead of female officers?”
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that the incident is under internal affairs investigation. In a statement to The Advocate, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said, “The Pima County Sheriff’s Department takes all citizen complaints seriously and investigates each and every one of them.” He indicated that the department has not gotten a complaint, but that authorities are aware of the social media video and “are currently looking into the matter.”
When asked by The Advocate in a follow-up email whether officers are frequently called to the Walmart location for shoplifting or drug-related calls, Nanos declined to comment and said he would answer questions once the investigation is complete. “As I mentioned previously, once the matter is completely investigated, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department will gladly speak with you,” Nanos wrote.
Kalaya MortonCourtesy Kalaya Morton
On Wednesday, the sheriff’s department requested in a post on Facebook that anyone with information come forward.
Morton told The Advocate that she hadn’t made an official complaint with the sheriff’s department yet but that she intended to report the incident. She also said she believed a Walmart cashier had called authorities, as the employee had been watching her closely before she entered the restroom.
A representative for Walmart confirmed knowledge of the situation when contacted by The Advocate. “We’re cooperating with the police investigation,” a spokesperson said, declining to speak further.
Morton said she hasn’t used a public restroom since the incident. She explained that in her daily life, she usually ignores when people misgender her, understanding that her masculine presentation might lead to assumptions. 'If someone mistakes me for a guy, I usually just correct them or let it go,' she said. 'But this was different. This wasn’t just someone calling me ‘sir’—this was law enforcement trying to remove me from a bathroom where I had every right to be.' “I’m afraid now. It’s already enough being Black and facing discrimination. Now I have to worry about being harassed just for needing to pee?” she said.
Determined to fight back, Morton said she intends to seek legal counsel. “They had no reason to do that to me,” she said. “I know my rights, and I’m going to make sure this doesn’t happen to someone else.”
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“This isn’t just about me,” Morton continued. “It’s about making sure this doesn’t happen to the next person who just wants to use the restroom without being harassed.”
Arizona does not have a law dictating who can use which restroom, yet the incident comes amid growing national scrutiny over restroom access and gender policing, with lawmakers increasingly pushing policies that target transgender and gender-nonconforming people. Recently, an Arizona lawmaker reintroduced legislation targeting bathroom access and pronoun use in schools, measures that activists argue put transgender students at risk.
Just last month, Republican lawmakers at the U.S. Capitol mistakenly confronted a cisgender woman in a restroom, believing she was transgender after House Speaker Mike Johnson implemented rules restricting restroom use based on assigned sex at birth.
Kalaya MortonCourtesy Kalaya Morton
