Public bathrooms should not be compartmentalized by gender. Instead, public bathrooms should be comprised of individual genderless bathrooms that contain free toiletries to service persons of all genders. Bathrooms do not need specifications as to who may use them. (This would probably reduce the imminent threat of being attacked in a bathroom with multiple stalls). No one should feel like they ‘don’t belong’ especially when it comes to basic human needs such as going to a bathroom.
It's understandable that people feel uneasy about this situation because there hasn't been much speculation over this, as there is now. However cis people should not assume that their presence is accommodating, when in reality systemic institutions and social norms is made up of cis people trying to accommodate themselves.
Cis people who feel threatened by a transgender person utilizing/sharing a bathroom with them. However, it's not ironic that victims of assault and battery that occurs in bathroom assaults are usually are women and people from the LGBTQ community. It should be safe for anyone to go into a public bathroom, without the fear of being assaulted by people who view another person's gender identity as a threat.
References:
1. Friedrichs, Ellen. "Unpacking the Public Bathroom Debate for Cis People: Why Bathroom Access Needs to Be Safe for People of All Genders."Everyday Feminism. N.p., 28 Jan. 2015. Web. 23 Nov. 2015. <http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/01/public-bathroom-debate/>.
Comments