I spent a wonderful 5 days out in Manchester travelling on the train through to Blackpool and Liverpool. Sadly in Liverpool in the Debenhams store, the security must have considered me as some sort of risk or perhaps I was about to break some law being dressed as I was (see photo taken a little later).
What happened? I wanted to try a dress on and went over towards the queue for the fitting rooms to ask an assistant if it would be ok. I always ask and would never dream of just walking in to the fitting rooms without asking. The shop assistants when I have been out shopping in Manchester and Blackpool have always been sensitive to my needs and other customers when I've needed to try clothes on.
I never got to speak to an assistant within 30 seconds of joining the queue a security guard came and announced 'YOU HAVE BEEN SPOTTED BY THE CONTROL ROOM' and proceeded to tell me I would have to use the changing rooms on another floor. He did say the Men's.
Other people were now looking at me and I just felt sick. I went back to my friends and put the dress back. I told them what had happened and they were horrified.
We left, on the way out I asked the security if this was standard policy to treat trans gendered people like this. He just said that the control room had spotted us and was told to tell me that I would have to use the men's changing room.
It seems to me that I was doing something wrong because of my appearance and that the security considered me a threat that the shop assistants would not be able to deal with in the women's department. I only wanted to ask about a dress and possibly try it on.
I've sent an email to the company about this it'll be interesting to see if I get a reply.
Sadly I don't know if I will bother to go back to Liverpool. Liverpool 1 is intimidating with the amount of security swarming round the place very visibly. It should have made us feel safer, but to be honest and I think my friends would agree we felt we were being constantly watched and not really welcome.
I really hope I get a positive reply. Liverpool is a city I have many fond memories of and it is a place I really wanted to get out in. In it's defence it was ladies day at Aintree which tends to bring out a lot of drunks and idiots so I am told, but really that is no excuse for why I was treated like that.
On a positive note in the MAC shop I got some good advice on my foundation now that they don't stock the full coverage and a sample of the Studio Fix liquid to try.
Cafe Rouge, I think it was where we had breakfast treated us really well. Even using the ladies in Lime Street Station I had to pass a police officer and had no problems.
The incident did give me a knock as it did my friend Diana who is from Liverpool.
Our faith was restored the next day when we were out shopping in Manchester. We could not have been treated better.
In conclusion I sincerely hope this is not normal practise in Liverpool 1
