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‘You would think management would support me but they don’t’: Lowe’s customer calls Black trans worker a ‘freak’

‘The way you were so sweet to him and he treated you that way.’

Photo of Cecilia Lenzen

Cecilia Lenzen

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A Black trans worker recorded a customer calling them a “freak” at work and shared the footage to TikTok to show the reality of what they go through.

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The worker (@snowblackbunni) greets the customer and asks how he was doing. They also asks if the customer needs help finding anything, but the customer replies, “Not from you.”

“OK, well bye,” the worker replies, their tone shifting from polite to dismissive. The customer seems to say something inaudible in the video, and the worker tells him to “keep on walking.”

The video pans to show the elderly white customer, who seems to ignore the worker’s warning. At that point, the worker’s voice raises. They say, “Keep walking. I asked you if you needed some help—did I not? And what was your response?”

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The customer snaps back, “You look like a freak, and I don’t do business with freaks.”

The worker again tells the man to keep walking, and he finally starts walking away as he says, “You don’t know if you’re a girl or a guy.”

@snowblackbunni This is what i go through at work. Do you believe me now? #transrights #transrightsarehumanrights #transrights🏳️‍⚧️ ♬ I FEEL P…….SSY – Kevin Jz Prodigy
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At the end of the video, the on-screen text says, “Y’all my blood was boiling.” As of Monday, the video garnered about 263,000 views and more than 3,300 comments.

Multiple viewers expressed condolences that the TikToker gets treated that way simply for who they are. Some commended the TikToker’s response to the customer.

“I’m so sorry! You got this! Responded like a queen,” one viewer commented on the video.

“The way you were so sweet to him and he treated you that way … I’m so sorry,” a second viewer commented. In reply to the comment, the creator wrote, “I believe in karma. I have nothing but love in my heart and for people to be so nasty towards me is unbearable.”

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“My blood would be boiling too. You tried being nice, he called you a name and suddenly HES the victim????” a third commented.

Other viewers told the TikToker they’re “beautiful” and said they would feel safe and valued approaching them at a store. Some encouraged the TikToker to stay strong and try to be safe at their job. It appears the TikToker works at Lowe’s.

In a comment on the video, the TikToker wrote, “I fear for my life everyday just because I want to feel loved and look pretty. You would think management would support me but they don’t.”

The Daily Dot reached out to the creator via TikTok comment as well as to Lowe’s.

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