A DeKalb County Police officer is under investigation following an incident at the Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Branch of the DeKalb County Public Library in Tucker, Georgia. The officer reportedly confronted Sasha Swinson, a transgender woman, after she used the women’s restroom at the library.
According to Decaturish, the encounter took place on October 20 around 6:25 p.m. Swinson said she regularly visits public libraries and has not previously experienced issues using restrooms. She explained that after having dinner in Tucker, she stopped by the library to read. Officers were likely present because the library was serving as an early voting site at the time.
Swinson recounted her interaction with the officer: “And he says, ‘Excuse me, sir, next time you have to use the restroom, you’re going to have to go in either the men’s restroom or the family restroom down the hall.’” Swinson responded by saying she had been using the women’s restroom there for months.
Swinson added that the officer continued speaking without lowering his voice and told her: “But you’re not a woman. That’s obvious.” When Swinson asked if he worked for the library, she said he replied: “What difference does that make? This is a police matter.” Swinson described him as angry and quoted him saying: “This is a police matter. It’s a safety issue. There are women, little girls in there,” and that he acted like “some avenging hero or something.”
Swinson said she told the officer there was no reason to be transphobic. She reported that he denied being transphobic and then threatened arrest: “You should be thanking me for not taking you in right now.”
The incident has led advocacy groups such as Transgender Law Center and Georgia Equality to accuse the officer of transphobia and call for disciplinary action. These organizations argue that restricting access to restrooms based on gender identity is discriminatory and assert it is a human rights issue.
The DeKalb County Police Department confirmed its Internal Affairs unit is reviewing what happened. A spokesperson stated: “Because the investigation is ongoing, we are unable to share additional details at this time,” adding, “The department remains dedicated to treating all members of our community with dignity, respect, and professionalism.”
