Haron Zaanan was in the restaurant that evening in a bare-shouldered dress. A video circulating on social media shows a waiter asking Zaanan to leave the restaurant because of the ‘bare shoulders’. Other customers would have disturbed themselves with Zaanan, Belga reports. The influencer furiously left the restaurant. “I would rather leave this mediocre restaurant than hide who I am,” Zaanan reported on Instagram after the incident.
The restaurant’s management later apologized, but stated that there was no transphobia. According to them, given the place, time and winter period, it was not particularly shocking to find Zaanan’s clothing inappropriate, and it was reasonable to ask them to adjust. Management added, though, that it is “aware that the notion of ‘inappropriate clothing’ is highly subjective” and that the question may come across as controversial. “We were in the awkward position of having to respond to customer complaints saying that Haron Zaanan’s clothing bothered them and at the same time we didn’t want to be disrespectful to Zaanan,” a statement said.
‘Gender issue’
Those apologies were not accepted by Haron Zaanan. “It was definitely a gender issue.” Non-binaries do not consider themselves male nor female.
The management of the Brussels restaurant has meanwhile also contacted the Institute for the Equality of Women and Men. That Institute then called on Haron Zaanan to report it to them, so that the file can be dealt with more broadly and that a reconciliation attempt can possibly take place.