Musings From Inside The Unisex Cell

“A Seattle man began undressing at a public swimming pool women’s locker room when a group of young girls were changing… .He was not arrested, as a result of Washington’s new law allowing “transgender” men to use women’s restrooms. I use quotes around the term transgender because this man had no outward identifying statements or attire to suggest he thought of himself as a woman” (Vliet). In other words privacy for all could get taken away if, no matter your biological sex, any person can choose what bathroom/locker room they want to go into. This matters because all gender facilities would be taking away the privacy rights of the

Most don’t explicitly look into the complexity of a transgender person’s life and all the questions or problems one might face: Do I use the men’s or the women’s bathroom? Is it appropriate to use this locker room? Those are only two of the many questions a transgender person might run into on a daily basis because of how others would see the situation, how the people who may have a sneaking suspicion that the woman they saw go into the ladies’ bathroom isn’t actually female by their definition, or how it could also seem strange to see that same person go into the mens’ bathroom. These all lead to dysphoria in any person’s situation in public places due to the fact that many choose to taunt or mock the person; however, with the help of Title IX these questions could start to vanish from the thoughts of many transgender students which Blad exemplifies with a quote in her article:

Recently, the issue of allowing transgender people access to public facilities according to the gender they identify with has caused much debate throughout the United States. The bathroom bill seeks to control access to public facilities of transgender individuals, based on the gender they were assigned at birth. In 2015, bills were passed stating entering a bathroom not assigned to a person at birth was a crime. Surrounded by misconception, the bill does “not legalize harassment, stalking, violence, or sexual assault.” Since the bill arose, there have not been a rise in violence or other incidents in the states protecting the transgender rights (Transgender Equality). The bill simply states if one is living as a woman, to use the women’s restroom,

Transgender rights and policies have always been an ongoing debate. In the article, “Bathroom Battlegrounds and Penis Panics,” Schilt and Westbrook (2015) argued that in order to push gender equality forward, we must consider the rights of transgender people by allowing them to have access to bathrooms that support their gender identity rather than their biological sex. In doing so, authors believed that it would make progress in alleviating discrimination against transgender people. However, in this conscious effort to fight for transgender rights and their access to sex-segregated spaces,

These kind of people want to and will try to make someone’s life as hard as possible simply because they see this subject differently. The simple, daily task of using the bathroom is a breeze for any typical person. Unfortunately, this task comes across as a intimidating adversary to a trans person simply because one can be conflicted with which restroom to use. For many trans people, entering a gender-specific bathroom can be a source of stress and anxiety, because using the restroom can mean very real health and safety concerns. Harassment of trans people in and around gender-specific bathrooms can range from denial of use to police intervention to verbal threats and physical assault.

When approaching public restrooms, most look at the gender on the door that associates with their own gender. However, some stare at those labels wondering which one they belong in. These types of people are often referred to as transgenders. Transgenders are people who identify themselves with the opposite gender of their biological sex. Therefore, for this category of people, entering a restroom is not so easy. They often wonder whether they should go into the bathroom of their biological sex or of their gender identity. The debate has spread throughout America today. Transgender bathrooms have been discussed in politics, education, and even criminal cases. Both sides of the debate offer valid evidence to support their claims. The only compensation

"Most New Yorkers take their unfettered access to bathrooms for granted, yet every single day transgender and gender non-conforming individuals must grapple with the fact that their choices

In Abby Ellin’s article, “For Transgender Women, An Extra Dose of Fear,” the experiences of Abbie Paige, along with a variety of other transgender women, are discussed. Most notably, it has been asserted that as a result of being transgender, not only do these individuals face an increased risk of being subject to physical danger, but they also must conform to what society deems as absolute. For example, even though certain individuals may not be cisgender, or have a gender identity that aligns with their sex, they still must use facilities which their surrounding society deems appropriate. Additionally, as a result of the lack of acceptance and equality in the political economical hemisphere, people who drift away from their assumed gender roles may face extreme difficulties when attempting to get healthcare services.

Some in favor of transgender bathrooms claim that anyone can be anything they want. Although this is true, you can’t just eat someone because you think you are a lion, and the same goes with gender. Olipocket on debate.org argued, “If you have a penis, regardless of what you look like on the outside, then you need to use the men's room. If you have a vagina, regardless of what you look like on the outside, then you need to use the women's room.” This proves that no matter who you think you are, it can’t top who you really are. If you are really a man then you use the men’s bathroom. It’s that simple. Not only is this common sense, it also protects people’s privacy. Women don’t want men looking at them in the bathroom. So, in order to avoid complexity in the laws, if you have male parts, you go in the men’s and same with women. Next, Dann states, “The transgendered person however is NOT a woman, and unfortunately never will be. They have created their own artificial gender - Transgender. They still possess an Adam's apple. They still possess other immutable male qualities too. Although they may see themselves as women, the rest of the world and, most importantly, those who they will be allowed to share that most private of places, the bathroom, with, won’t see them as such.” Even transgender women are artificial. They aren’t real. Even if they have a fake vagina,

Some people have a problem with transgender people using the ¨wrong restroom.¨ In the article “Seat of Unrest” by Sara GoodYear she explains that ¨The board is voting on whether he should be allowed to use the boys restroom at Gloucester High

It is 2016, and today's society has become a more diverse community than ever. Although more people have become open-minded there is still one issue that is considered to be controversial. The issue among transgender people, and the creation of neutral gender bathroom. This issue has become controversial between the transgender community and the government. The reason behind this problem is that the transgender community in the recent years has gain momentum in being accepted by society, but not the government. In my case, I believe that the creation of neutral gender bathroom can bring a negative impact both psychological discomfort and physical danger to the population.

Coming out as a transgender, identifying with a gender expression that differs from the assigned sex, has proven to be quite difficult through the ages. While the acceptance of transgender people has grown significantly higher throughout the years, people’s stance on them are still quite divided, and the uphill battle for transgender rights has proven this. Just giving transgenders the right to simply go to the bathroom they identify with has shown to be controversial according to the TIME cover Battle of the Bathroom. The TIME magazine makes sure to note the problem defiantly “far more than public facilities” (Scherer par. 9). Transgender rights are a problem that Jamison Green, president for World Professional Association for Transgender Health, thoroughly addresses in a report written by Alan Greenblatt for CQ Researcher. Jamison Green’s specific purpose in that report is to justify why transgender people deserve basic human rights like everybody else, as shown in society, through his use of facts, qualifiers, figurative language, counterarguments, and appeals to logic and values.

In summary, the transgender desegregation of restrooms is a contentious topic that includes the topics of safety, discrimination, privacy and economics. Safety is a concern that can involve physical and sexual assault for the transgender person and cisgender women may become victims of sexual predators using restrooms under the guise of being transgender. Discrimination against restroom access for transgender individuals is currently complicated by a mixed-bag of laws and these would need to be amended to grant full access. Privacy is an issue that could merely be a perception bias that would need to be overcome in order to raise a level of comfort. The economic feasibility of transgender desegregation of restrooms is a mixed-bag that may require

In past generations, it has been clear to society that males and females use segregated bathrooms. It is also known that the rate of transgender people has been growing over the past years. Transgender people constantly face troubles when using a bathroom in public. Nevertheless, as society has become more aware of the transgender population and the issues that they face, many schools have had to decide how they will respond about the issue of school bathrooms when students identify themselves as transgender. A school should be able to provide separate facilities based on sex, but must allow transgender students access to the facility which matches their gender identity.

Transgenders are fighting for the right to use whatever bathroom that they want. Many people are opposed to this because they are concerned about the safety of women and children. They think that perverts will take advantage of innocent people. A YouTuber decided to shed light on this issue by dressing up as a woman and going into the lady's restroom. The response he got from women was interesting.