Off-duty bouncer punched trans woman after she refused high-five
Wednesday, 8 March 2023
An off-duty bouncer punched a transgender woman when she denied him a high-five, it has been revealed.
Wellington bar El Barrio had acknowledged the early Sunday morning assault, which saw the woman allegedly assaulted by an off-duty bouncer when leaving the premises, while a security guard on duty laughed and looked away.
A spokesperson from Shepherd Security, the group the bouncers work for, said he had been working as a bouncer next door and witnessed the assault.
He said he had seen the guard approach the victim to give them a high-five, which the victim declined. The man then backhanded her in the groin.
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The spokesman later apologised to the woman’s friends for the man’s actions, but the victim had already left at that point, he said.
The bouncer, who was on a casual contract, was now on suspension without pay. He would be taken through steps to give closure to the victim, including a face-to-face apology if the victim agreed.
He would also be apologising to El Barrio owners Leon Magowan-Wilson and Greig Wilson, alongside being supported in seeking professional help for personal issues.
The bouncer could be dismissed if the man did not follow the steps laid out to him.
The man had told the spokesman he had been going through some personal issues, and had earlier been at a 21st birthday party before coming into town “highly intoxicated”.
The on-duty bouncer who had allegedly ignored the assault had been working his first shift for the company, and had since firmly been “taught how to do his job”.
Shepherd Security tried to uphold their Christian faith by being non-judgmental and accepting customers for who they were, the spokesperson said.
Magowan-Wilson said he was made aware of the incident when people started tagging El Barrio in their instagram stories the day after.
The assault had been “horrible and upsetting” to watch on the CCTV footage however, Shepherd Security had been upfront g about what had happened, and had immediately taken ownership.
Neither of the bouncers would be coming back to work at El Barrio.
Magowan-Wilson said, for the incident to take place at the beginning of the Wellington Pride Festival, was especially disappointing.
Gender Minorities Aotearoa organiser Ahi Wi-Hongi said people needed to be aware that trans women had the same right to decide what happened with their own bodies, the same as any woman did.
When trans women were out in public, it was common for them to be touched by people who usually thought they were being friendly.
Correction: The previous version of this article had called Shepherd Security a company, when it is not registered with the New Zealand Companies Office. [Corrected 8/03/2023 3.24pm]