STUDY: Transgender People Experience Discrimination Trying To Use Bathrooms

[FreeState]

Last edited Mon Jul 1, 2013, 03:52 AM - Edit history (1)

No one should have to fear using the bathroom. People who spread fear of molesters in women's clothing contribute to this discrimination in my opinion, they create an environment that harms transgender persons, not criminals.

http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/06/26/2216781/transgender-bathroom-study/

A new study from the Williams Institute confirms that transgender people face significant levels of discrimination and harassment simply when trying to use the restroom. The study focused on people who identify as transgender or gender non-conforming/genderqueer in the Washington, DC area and found that an overwhelming majority — 70 percent — had experienced some sort of negative reaction when using a bathroom. The study notes that this is in spite of the fact that DC’s enforcement regulations contain “the strongest language in the country in regard to gender-segregated public facilities” to protect trans people from just these sorts of issues.

The primary experience trans people reported was verbal harassment, with 68 percent reporting they were told they were in the wrong facility, told to leave the facility, questioned about their gender, ridiculed or made fun of, verbally threatened, or stared at and given strange looks. Some also shared that the police were called and others noted that they were followed after using a facility. For 9 percent of respondents, actual physical assault has also occurred, including being forcibly removed from the restroom, hit or kicked, intimidated or cornered, or slapped; one respondent reported being sexually assaulted.

Moreover, 18 percent of respondents reported they were simply denied access to a restroom. Several of them were students whose education suffered because of this discrimination, in part because of excessive absences. Those who experienced issues in the workplace felt it contributed to poor job performance, and some even changed jobs or simply quit their jobs to avoid the confrontations.

There were health consequences for respondents as well, with 54 percent reporting physical complications like dehydration, urinary tract infections, kidney infections, and other kidney problems simply because of the tactics they used to avoid going to the restroom during the day. Many health facilities also have gender-segregated restrooms, which discourages individuals from seeking treatment for these conditions. As many as 58 percent have avoided going out in public at times because of bathroom concerns.

[mockmonkey]

1. I learned in GD

That woman are often raped by men dressed as women in the ladies room so allowing transgender women to use the ladies room is not acceptable because of that fear.

[FreeState]

2. Yep, thats a myth promoted by some posters over and over

the same posters over and over actually. Transphobia often gets overlooked when its done by those on our side of the isle. The problem is there are not enough people calling them out on their BS.

[AZ Progressive]

3. How is this any much different than Anita Bryant and Paul Cameron associating...

Gay people with child molesters. Or hispanics with drugdealers. These are myths used to disparage and denigrate a whole group of people. Even if so, its as common as the ratio of actual muslim terrorists to innocent law abiding muslim people. Are you going to keep all muslims out of a place just because the chance of one of them being a terrorist? (and thats not saying that such people are a subset of the transgender community, a pervert male wearing womens clothes to a bathroom to film women is most likely not a transgender person.)

[Amimnoch]

5. Public restroom laws need a complete overhaul imo.

First, I do feel that gender segregation needs to be eliminated all together when it comes to washrooms.

Gender neutralize all of them.
Instead of having 2 washrooms, have 1 large one that is required to have:

For larger establishments (department stores, public washrooms, office buildings/warehouses etc..)
*Handicap accessible stalls.
*Stalls that include baby change stations.
*Completely enclosed stalls with locks.
* seperate area for urinals that are isolated by their own door.
* Sinks/hand washing stations outside the stall area.

for smaller establishments (like fast food, and many small restaurants):
2 or more gender neutral bathrooms, that are setup for 1 person use, with handicap and change stations.
(many of these types of establishments already have this kind of setup, but instead of having 2x bathrooms that are open to everyone, they have one designated for men and one for women.. So, often, I see 2 or 3 women waiting in a line to use the 1 bathroom while the other one remains empty.. ridiculous)