Trans of Thought: Bathroom issues

Trans of Thought: Bathroom issues

MaiaMonet_MugIn early April 2011, a few months after I arrived in Florida, I was able to legally change my name and landed a job at a local theme park with my new identity. For the first time in my life, I was also assigned the female locker room.

I still vividly remember the anxiety I felt upon entering this inner sanctum of femininity. Back then I had not yet had gender confirmation surgery (GCS) and was frightened at what could happen if I was inadvertently found out. I took care to be as discreet as possible by changing into my uniform bottoms in toilet stalls and choosing individual showers in remote corners to avoid any prying eyes.

I mention this to highlight the fact that many trans people feel fear when using the facilities in alignment with their gender identity. I’ve sat in transgender support group meetings where trans women express paranoia over whether someone in a neighboring bathroom stall might detect a difference in the sound of their stream. Trans men obsess over being conspicuous by their inability to use a urinal. To mitigate possible violence at the hands of cisgender people, we will go to extremes to increase our safety. This includes subjecting ourselves to painful surgical procedures or avoiding gendered facilities entirely.

Despite our desire to fit in and be left in peace, if one were to scrutinize the rationale advanced in defense of the so-called bathroom bills across the country, it’s clear that we are considered dangerous. However, it is indisputable that evidence we pose a threat to fellow non-trans potty patrons is nonexistent. In contrast, according to a study at the Williams Institute at UCLA, 70 percent of trans people report being verbally harassed or physically assaulted in the bathroom. Any fictitious fear cisgender people have of assault by trans people pales in comparison to the terrifying realities of the violence we face.

Of course, until recently the publicly stated reasoning by social conservatives has been that bathroom bills are only meant to keep males with ill intentions out of female-only spaces. Trans people are collateral damage sacrificed at the altar of the greater good. But there is little doubt that this is a smokescreen that hides bigotry behind an unassailable ideal because, in fact, bathroom bills don’t increase safety since safety isn’t a problem. In the hundreds of municipalities that have ordinances protecting gender identity, there is no discernable increase in crime in female-only facilities.

As I implied earlier, recent bathroom bills introduced by Republicans show their true intent. It seems the election of our new commander-in-chief, with his unabashed sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, plus every other “ism” and phobia I can think of, has emboldened those with regressive views and these new bills are certainly retrograde.

In Virginia, HB 1612 makes it illegal to use facilities restricted to the opposite sex, but it defines sex as what is listed on a person’s original birth certificate. Birth certificates with an amended sex marker, typically issued after GCS, are not valid. The bill also requires schools to inform parents within 24 hours if their child tells a school official that they are transgender. Minnesota’s HB 41, although limited to public schools, even more narrowly defines sex as chromosomes and genitals at birth. Not to be left behind, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick introduced HB 6, which he acknowledges would do nothing to keep predators out of the ladies room, but would likely keep out most trans women. Patrick also stated that the restrictions did not extend to trans men using the men’s room, “because men can defend themselves.”

These new proposed laws, and several more due in the coming weeks, have changed the focus of the threat from supposed male predators to transgender people. Now the question is, why should you care? Odds are that those of you reading this are not transgender. Maybe you don’t know any trans people and are worried about possible threats to marriage equality from the Trump administration. The answer is, because this is the first incremental wave in the battle to roll back LGBTQ+ civil rights advances and you may not have noticed.

The transgender community is a small subgroup that receives little attention from the members of the larger community and conservatives know it. Yes, the different equality organizations locally and nationwide do represent trans interests, but active advocacy of transgender causes by the average cisgender gay, lesbian, and bisexual is not nearly as robust. In my corner of the world, I can often count on one hand the number of LGB friends who respond to, let alone share, my posts on transgender topics. This may seem like a small thing, but for me it always calls to mind the famous quote by Martin Niemöller, which ends with, “Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.” Well, they are coming for the transgender community right now from all sides and I am sounding the warning alarm. If the LGBTQ+ community does not stand together to speak out in protest in one voice, eventually they will come for all of us.

Melody Maia Monet operates her own YouTube channel on transgender issues at YouTube.com/MelodyMaia and she can be reached at Monet@Alumni.Princeton.edu.

More in Viewpoint

See More