In a troubling episode that blends arcade fun with raw bias, Indiana resident Lucien Bates says he was harassed, surrounded by four security guards, and threatened with arrest while simply using the restroom at Round1 Bowling & Arcade in North Riverside, Illinois, on September 28.
Bates and his fiancé arrived for an evening of games at the arcade bar inside the North Riverside Park Mall. Before stepping up to the standing dance machine, he chose to use the women’s restroom, a space he says he often picks for safety reasons. “I typically feel safer in the women’s restroom, which I guess kind of bit me in the butt this time,” he later told reporters.
Just minutes after entering, Bates says a female guard walked in and told him, “You know you can’t be in here, right?” according to his account. The guard reportedly refused to clarify her point, eventually demanding he be in the restroom that matched the gender marker on his ID. Bates declined, while his fiancé voluntarily produced his ID showing an “F” marker. Seconds later, backup arrived, and tensions escalated.
The security team told Bates and his group that their presence posed a danger because children visit the facility. When they exited, they were met by shouts of “You’re going to get arrested,” Bates claims, though no reason for arrest was explained. “It’s scary to think about what would have happened had just one of us gone in by ourselves and had four security guards in the bathroom with us,” Bates said.
Following the incident, Bates filed formal complaints with both Round1 and the mall. A company spokesperson told Windy City Times that Round1 is “taking this matter very seriously” and that “appropriate corrective measures have been taken.” The statement emphasized that the company “does not tolerate discrimination of any kind, including but not limited to gender identity.”
Legally, the case raises questions in Illinois. The state’s Human Rights Act bars discrimination in places of public accommodation on the basis of gender identity, and that includes multi-user bathrooms. For many transgender individuals, this incident spotlights the dissonance between policy and practice on the ground.
Beyond the legalities, Bates described the incident as “dehumanizing” and said that a once-favored hangout is now a source of anxiety. “They ruined my whole day,” he said.
This episode comes amid a broader national context of heightened policing of trans people in public restrooms. Incidents in multiple states show how restroom access remains a flashpoint in both rights debates and everyday safety concerns.
For trans individuals, the message is clear: even spaces meant for fun, like arcade bars, can turn unexpectedly hostile. For businesses, it underscores that inclusion is not just policy language on a website; it is how employees, security, and managers treat every guest.
At a moment when visibility of trans experiences matters more than ever, Bates’s story reminds us that the right to use the restroom in peace is itself an act of living well, and that is revenge against erasure.
