An actor in 50 Cent’s#### series “Power Book II: Ghost” is bringing the nationwide bathroom debate straight to the courtroom after a night out in Manhattan went sideways.
Wesley Han is suing the Soho Grand Hotel for what their calling discrimination and harassment, and the case sits right in the middle of an ongoing culture war over bathroom access and gender identity.
Wesley, who played Pinky, a private investigator in the Starz series produced by 50 Cent, was attending a private event when security allegedly confronted them over which restroom they used.
According to the lawsuit obtained by TMZ, a security guard asked women in the foyer, “Excuse me ladies, have you seen a man enter?” before entering the women’s restroom where Wesley was.
Wesley was dressed in women’s clothing and had every right to be there, but the guard had other ideas. The guard wouldn’t let Wesley wash their hands and then escorted them to the men’s restroom in what Wesley describes as a humiliating walk through the hotel.
Wesley’s appearance on “Power Book II: Ghost,” alongside Method Man and Mary J. Blige, gave them visibility in one of the biggest shows on television.
The actor also appeared in “Russian Doll,” “Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens,” and ” Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin.”
But none of that mattered to the hotel’s security team.
Wesley is now seeking damages for emotional distress and humiliation, claiming the incident violated their rights.
This lawsuit arrives as states across the country are passing increasingly strict bathroom bills that target transgender and non-binary people.
Idaho just criminalized bathroom use for trans people in private businesses, and the State Department implemented its own anti-trans bathroom policy.
Wesley’s case represents what happens when those policies and attitudes show up in real time, in a luxury hotel in New York City.
The Soho Grand hasn’t responded to requests for comment, but the damage is already done.