Serial Writer

148km:

“Peeing in Peace: A Resource Guide for Transgender Activists and Allies” (.PDF)

fuckyeahgenderstudies:

This is a really, really great resource. I talked about it in this post but couldn’t remember what it was called. But finally i found it again!

Here are some excerpts that should address all the questions and comments on the topic currently languishing in my ask box.

“Police officers and security guards frequently detain, question and, in very rare cases, arrest transgender people who they believe to be in the “wrong” bathroom. A study conducted by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs in 2002 showed that in 50% of the hate violence claims submitted by transgender people in San Francisco, police officers and security guards were the perpetrators.”

(Page 10)

“At the root of this question is the idea that bathrooms cannot be safe for women, children and transgender people. This idea is inaccurate and it puts women and children one side and transgender people on the other. When marginalized groups are pitted against each other like this, coalition building becomes difficult (if not impossible) and the political power of all the groups is weakened. And that is a shame because nothing about allowing people to use the bathroom that is appropriate for their gender identity or creating gender neutral bathrooms makes those bathrooms more unsafe for women and children.

The truth is that the current bathroom situation does not adequately ensure women’s safety. Putting a sign that says “women” on the door of a bathroom does not stop people who want to harm women from entering. Thinking that a sign will create protection might actually increase the potential for violence in bathrooms because if someone did intend to assault a woman in a bathroom, they would certainly know where to look. In doing bathroom activism, it is important that we help people realize that something as symbolic as a sign on a door does not provide any real safety or protection.”

(Page 5. Bolding mine.)

And finally:

In response to discussions about women’s safety, some people have thought of the idea of keeping women’s bathrooms but converting men’s bathrooms to gender-neutral. This is often presented as a compromise between folks advocating for gender-neutral bathrooms and folks advocating that women require a space separate from men to use the bathroom. […]

However, it is an idea that in the long run is likely unhelpful. First of all… it reinforces the incorrect idea that women are safe in a “women’s bathroom.” At the same time, it would likely force transgender women into a gender-neutral bathroom instead of allowing them to use the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity (the women’s room). It may also force masculine women, who may or may not be transgender-identified, to use the gender-neutral bathroom as well. Finally, it is not clear that this is a legally tenable situation and may lead to the building owner facing charges of creating unequal conditions for men and women. For these reasons, while there may be some very specific instances in which this idea actually works, in general it is one that we think would be unhelpful. 

(Page 13. Bolding mine.)

hehangs:

I approve of this