Footage of US police forcibly removing a gay woman from a girls’ toilet has begun circulating the internet, in a harsh example of America’s damaging new anti-LGBT laws.

The 50-second video, which was uploaded to Facebook by activist Tamara McDaniel, shows an alleged lesbian woman being told to leave the female restroom. She is called “sir” by the officers, asked for ID to prove her gender, and then pinned against the wall and escorted out.

“A lesbian was harassed and forced to leave a public restroom because the police insist she's a man,” wrote McDaniel in the accompanying caption. “Is this what ‘Make America Great Again’ means?”

Watch the video in full below:

Although the location of the video is not specified, there are indications that it could have been filmed in North Carolina; where they are now actively enforcing similar ‘toilet checks’. Thanks to the notorious ‘HB 2’ bill – which was passed into law last month – the US state can now legally prevent people from using bathrooms that don’t match the gender on their birth certificate. 

Understandably, the legislation has been vilified, with major musicians like Bruce Springsteen and Ringo Starr cancelling their North Carolina shows until the law is repealed. Even the UK has been shamefully forced to issue an official warning to LGBT travellers hoping to visit the state.

“This makes me very sad and I want no part of this irrational fear,” McDaniel added. “I mean, can't you think of a 1,000 ways these laws will be used as an excuse to harass, humiliate, and arrest people? SMDH...This is a woman peeing.”