Georgia Police Department Recommits to ‘Inclusivity’ Training After Officer ‘Misgenders’ Man Using Women’s Bathroom

A Georgia police department doubled down on its goal of creating a more “inclusive” force after one police officer was put under investigation for allegedly misgendering a transgender-identifying man who used a public women’s bathroom.

In late October, Sasha Swinson, a man who identifies as a woman, used the women’s restroom at the Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Library in DeKalb County. About ten minutes later, a police officer approached him and said, “‘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,'” Swinson told local news. Swinson rejected the officer’s stated effort to protect girls and women as transphobic.

Although Swinson did not learn the officer’s name or badge number, he reported the incident to library staff, who ultimately referred the event to the police department. DeKalb County Police Department’s Internal Affairs Unit has opened an investigation into the incident.

In response to the now-viral event, the CEO of DeKalb County, Georgia, Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, called the incident a “teachable moment.”

“This isolated incident has presented a teachable moment and an opportunity to review our policies and training, to ensure best practices,” she told local news. “As a result of the incident, we are reviewing our educational curriculum and laws to ensure our LGBTQ+ community is protected and feels welcomed in DeKalb County.”

National Review reached out to the DeKalb County Police Department to find out what that training might entail.

A public information officer confirmed to NR that “for several years” the department has mandated yearly courses such as “Cultural Awareness” and “Fostering Positive Community Relations” in order to train officers on “cultural sensitivity, communication, and respect.” In 2024, the department began to implement specific training initiatives focused on sexual orientation and gender.

“Earlier this year, our LGBTQ+ Awareness & Sensitivity Course was approved by the Georgia Peace Officer Standards & Training Council to be included as part of our annual training beginning in 2026,” the public information officer said.

Plans for the latter course were instated “well before” the October incident, she added.

An excerpt from the outline of the LGBTQ+ training emphasizes that as the department diversifies, “it is essential for officers to receive comprehensive training on various aspects of diversity, including sexual and lifestyle diversity,” and that “our police department must prioritize training in LGBTQ+ workplace issues, awareness, communication, respect, and community engagement.”

“As a law enforcement professional we have to uphold the United States Constitution and treat everyone equally despite opposite personal beliefs, values, and morals,” the outline reads. “This course may cause some discomfort when it comes to speaking about sexual orientation or gender identity but comfort is the enemy of growth. Please soak in this new or not so new information to better serve the citizens we all have sworn to protect.”

The Dekalb County Police Department did not respond when asked if the trainings discourage officers from questioning the presence of men in women’s bathrooms or locker-rooms. The department also did not say if the officer in question will be disciplined for the alleged misgendering at the conclusion of its investigation.

Law-enforcement officers have faced difficulty navigating the issue, DeKalb Fraternal Order of Police President Bob Hillis told NR.

“The issue of transgenderism is relatively new in the societal debate,” Hillis said. “It is still the opinion of the vast majority of society that we should respect separate (and safe) spaces for males and females, especially in spaces that involve very private functions.”

As society debates whether “transgenderism is a mental disorder or a social norm we should accept,” he continued, “law enforcement officers should not be pawns and sacrifices in that debate.”

“When laws and policy guidance are not present, we must trust our officers to use common sense to deal with community conflicts. Georgia laws and DeKalb County ordinances currently do not cover or mandate restroom usage policies likely because the proper restroom usage had, until recently, been a common sense issue,” he said.

Georgia does not have a broad state law that prohibits transgender individuals from using public restrooms according to their gender identity. Swinson told local news that he had used the women’s restroom in the library before without incident.

“We do not believe it is legally or ethically appropriate to advise officers to ignore biological males walking into female bathrooms,” Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr told National Review. “In Georgia, we know the definition of a woman. People need to stop making this more complicated than it is.”