One would think that there’s nothing interesting about a gas station toilet, but you would be wrong. A TikToker called Heather noticed something strange when visiting an Exxon gas station in College Station, Texas. As she headed toward the restroom area, she saw the unusual placement of the locks on the door. Typically, these locks are found inside the restroom, preventing others from entering while you’re inside. However, the woman pointed out that the locks on the women’s restroom were located outside, while the men’s restroom locks were located inside.
The video started with the TikToker showing the bathrooms available at a Texas gas station. There was one for employees, one for men, one for women, and even a private restroom. At first glance, all of them looked similar, but if you looked up, you could see a strange lock on the women’s bathroom door. The woman tried to mess with the lock, but it didn’t budge. She wasn’t sure whether someone was inside and had tried knocking. “It just beeped. What does that mean? Why is it only on the women’s restroom?” Heather asked.
The TikToker noted that the lock appeared to be remotely controlled, meaning someone could potentially trap a person inside the restroom. Recognizing the serious risk, someone contacted the police. An officer arrived shortly after and immediately ordered the Texas gas station manager to remove the lock. The manager hesitated, saying he needed to check with his boss first, but the officer was unmoved. “You can call your boss,” the officer said, “but no matter what he thinks, this lock is coming down today—whether with my tools or yours.”
An Unacceptable Act
Many praised the woman for her vigilance, emphasizing that an external lock on a public restroom is entirely unacceptable. However, some suspect this may only be the tip of the iceberg. “Dollars to donuts there’s a camera in the women’s bathroom as well,” one Redditor speculated.
Some users questioned why anyone would even consider installing a lock on the outside of a women’s restroom, noting the potential for various nefarious purposes, from kidnapping to assault. Others speculated that the lock could be targeting trans women. “With it being Texas, the implication is that they can trap people they perceive to be trans women and then call the cops in an attempt to collect a bounty,” one Redditor suggested.
The original poster on Reddit shared that the Texas gas station manager claimed a group of Hispanic men had destroyed the women’s restroom during lunchtime. “Which, racism aside, make it make sense. They only trash the women’s room? And this happens consistently? And it’s so bad that you feel compelled to install a weird and highly suspicious lock on just this door?” the user questioned.
