Gender discrimination at department store in state of TN

I am a man who carries my personal belongings (wallet, money, crdedit cards, I.D, s.s. card, birth certificate. etc...) in a small bag (much like a womans purse). I went into a store here in TN, and I was told that I had to leave my bag in an unsecured, unmanned area, close to the exit, while I shopped- I said that I was unwilling to do so, being that my purse contains my personal belongings and the area was not safely secured. I was told I couldn't shop there if I did not comply with their request, so I asked the manager to request that every woman carrying a bag be asked to put her bag in that same location as well- she stated that the company's policy only applied to men, and stated that she was not obligated to ask any woman to leave her bag in this unsecured location, only men! When I contacted the president of the company about this issue I was treated with utter disdain, and no action was taken to resolve the issue. When I contacted another corperate associate about this, I was HUNG UP ON!! This is clearly a case of gender discrimination and it is important that something is done about it. What are my rights and what can I do?