A Republican House candidate running in California’s 44th District filmed herself on Tuesday following a trans woman into a public bathroom and demanding to know why she was there.
Jazmina Saavedra, a “Latinos for Trump” spokeswoman who’s looking to unseat Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), streamed the incident via Facebook Live while at a Denny’s.
“I’m trying to use the ladies’ room right now,” Saavedra told viewers as she entered the bathroom. “And there is a man here saying that he’s a lady.”
She then pointed the camera at the cubicle and asked, “Why are you using the ladies’ bathroom?”
“Okay first off, you’re harassing me,” the woman responded. “I’m just using the restroom.”
“No, you’re invading my privacy because I’m a woman and I deserve to use the ladies’ room,” Saavedra said.
The woman asked incredulously, “I’m in the toilet, how am I invading your privacy?”
Saavedra left the bathroom and waited for the woman to come out, saying “I want everyone to see this.”
Throughout the seven-minute video, she repeatedly called the woman a “stupid guy” while ranting about “sick politicians” in California who believe in allowing people to use restrooms that correspond with their gender identity.
“You’re invading my privacy,” Saavedra told the woman she had accosted.
On Friday, Rep. Barragán slammed Saavedra’s actions. “Everyone has the right to their own identity, and the right not to be discriminated against for who they are,” she tweeted.
I was appalled by the treatment that this woman received for simply trying to use the restroom. Everyone has the right to their own identity, and the right not to be discriminated against for who they are. https://t.co/9IincnpFWy
— Nanette Barragán (@Nanette4CA) May 18, 2018
At the end of Saavedra’s video, the candidate showed viewers her stun gun and pepper spray.
“You never know what crazy people you can find in public restrooms,” she said.
According to ABC7, Saavedra doesn’t regret anything she said.
Watch the full video below:
