Latest news with #LillyContino
Toronto Sun
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
'NO LONGER FEEL SAFE': Transgender influencer rejects meal at Disney World after being called 'sir'
Transgender influencer Lilly Contino. Photo by Lilly Contino / Instagram A transgender influencer is up in arms, once again, after being misgendered by a restaurant server. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Transgender woman Lilly Contino shared a video on her social media accounts that shows the influencer sitting in a Disney World restaurant wearing a cropped blue tank top, white jean shorts and pink Minnie Mouse ears with a blue bow. As Contino is presented with a 'fancy' tower of different breads, the server at Tiffins Restaurant at Disney's Animal Kingdom park accidentally misgenders her and refers to the influencer as 'sir.' The waiter quickly apologizes and continues to explain the components of the dish, but by then, Contino is over it. Lilly explains on the video that being misgendered 'totally sucks the joy out of this bread tower,' and she feels like leaving. 'I no longer feel, like, safe here,' Contino continued, adding, 'My guard has to be up now.' She added: 'I'm not gonna enjoy this bread as much because my guard is up. We should be able to go places and not have to worry.' Contino noted Disney should train workers to use the term 'friend' or 'not use gendered language.' She then asks the server for the cheque and would no longer be eating the meal. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'Nothing was wrong with the bread, I just don't wait it anymore. Just because they apologized doesn't mean [I] don't feel sad or offended.' In the end, it appears Contino did not have to pay for the $18 Tiffins Signature Bread Service or drink, prompting many commenters to slam the content creator. 'My God, you're so sensitive,' one person weighed in, while another added: 'YOU make people feel uncomfortable.' RECOMMENDED VIDEO Others noted the server sincerely apologized, but it never seems to be enough for Contino. A scroll through Contino's TikTok and Instagram accounts show many videos of the influencer being misgendered. In 2023, a similar incident occurred at a restaurant in which Contino described being called 'sir' like a 'knife in the heart.' Toronto & GTA Canada Canada Tennis Music
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Transgender influencer refuses to eat meal at Disney World because waiter accidentally called her 'sir'
A transgender influencer has been slammed online after she refused to eat her meal at a Disney World restaurant because the waiter accidentally misgendered her. Transgender woman Lilly Contino has racked up hundreds of thousands of followers for documenting her transition online. She recently took to Instagram and TikTok to share her dismay after a staff member at the Happiest Place On Earth addressed her as 'sir' by mistake. She was eating Tiffins Restaurant at Disney's Animal Kingdom Park and the waiter was explaining the first course when he used the male pronoun. Despite the employee instantly apologizing, Lilly explained in her video about the incident that she 'no longer felt safe' at the restaurant. She ultimately decided she didn't want to eat there anymore because she knew she wouldn't 'enjoy' the food with her 'guard up.' The content creator ended up not having to pay for the food or her drink, but the interaction left some viewers disgruntled. In the now-viral video, Lilly was seen sitting at the table as the waiter brought out her first course, the $18 Tiffins Signature Bread Service. But as the waiter was explaining where all the different breads came from, he called Lilly, who was wearing a blue, cropped tank top, white jean shorts, and pink Minnie ears with a bow, 'sir.' 'It's coconut bread from Thailand?' Lilly asked, to which the waiter replied, 'Yes sir.' 'It's ma'am,' Lilly quickly corrected him. 'Ma'am, I'm sorry. My bad sir,' the flustered waiter said. Afterwards, Lilly reflected on the moment to the camera, explaining, 'That totally sucked the joy out of this bread tower. 'It makes me want to immediately leave because I no longer feel safe here. Now my guard has to be up. 'I'm not gonna enjoy this bread as much because my guard is up. We should be able to go places and not have to worry.' The video then cut to Lilly flagging down a waiter, and telling them, 'I don't think I want this bread tower, actually, I'd rather have the check if that's okay.' 'I think their training says they're supposed to say "friend" and not used gendered language, it's a pretty big thing that Disney has done,' Lilly told the camera in another clip. 'Nothing was wrong with the bread, I just don't want it anymore. Just because they apologized doesn't mean [I] don't feel sad or offended. 'Have you accidentally ever hurt someone and said, "I'm so sorry, it's an accident?" Do you expect them to be like, "Oh, it was an accident, of course, no problem whatsoever. All of that hurt is now undone." That's not how it works.' It appeared that Lilly didn't have to pay for the uneaten bread or her soda. In one final clip, a staff member at the restaurant was heard apologizing to Lilly once again, before he told her that her drink was 'also on him,' seemingly confirming the bread was free too. 'They meant well but it still hurts,' Lilly captioned the clip. In March 2022, it was announced that Disney World staff members, as well recordings throughout the parks, would no longer include 'gendered greetings' like 'boys and girls' or 'ladies and gentleman.' Instead, they opted for gender neutral terms such as, 'Hello, everyone,' or, 'Hello, friends.' 'We don't want to just assume because someone might be, in our interpretation, presenting as female, that they may not want to be called "princess,"' Disney's diversity and inclusion manager Vivian Ware said in a leaked conference call with employees. 'So let's think differently about how do we really engage with our guests in a meaningful and inclusive way that makes it magical and memorable for everyone,' she added. Lilly's interaction with the waiter has since gone viral, gaining million of views on both of her platforms. And while some viewers were on her side, many were quick to slam her. 'The waiter was genuinely sincere and apologized,' one user pointed out. 'I understand that being misgendered can be painful, and everyone deserves respect. But it's also important to recognize that not every mistake is meant to offend,' another added. 'Most people are just responding to what they perceive based on appearance and voice - it's not always intentional or hateful. 'Expecting strangers to immediately identify you the way you see yourself, especially without any communication, isn't realistic. Lilly's interaction with the waiter has since gone viral, gaining million of views on both of her platforms. And while some viewers were on her side, many were quick to slam her 'Filming these interactions and publicly calling people out for honest mistakes doesn't build understanding - it alienates people who might otherwise be willing to listen and learn.' 'Patience and acceptance goes both ways,' someone else wrote. 'The waiter literally apologized. GROW UP,' a fourth comment read. A fifth said, 'So they went through all that trouble to make that [bread] just for you to return it because u were misgendered. 'Now they have to throw it out. Honestly, how do you sleep at night?'
