I've ranted about this particular issue on Twitter in the last few days, so thank you @missy and @rambo for giving me an excuse to rant about it here too!
This issue of Transgender people using public bathrooms has been in the news and talked about a lot recently. So much of what is said is pure fantasy and lies - just check out Snopes.com for all of the false news and memes shared on Facebook about this issue, it's everywhere.
One of the most common views expressed is "I don't want some dude peeing beside my daughter", or fear or 'predators' I'm sure you've seen at least one person says that. There's so many things wrong with that statement... So lets count them shall we!
• Let's get this clear first off. Trans Women are not "dudes", they are not 'blokes', they are not men...
• Sexual predators come in all shapes and sizes, and your daughter is as likely to be abused by a woman as anyone else. The presence of trans women does not make your children any more or less safe.
• Nobody is peeing beside your daughter. They will be peeing in a locked cubicle, just like everyone else.
• If you care about your children's safety, presumably you will be going to the loo with them anyway, so what are you worried about?
• Oh you're a father and can't go into the ladies with your daughter? What a shame toilets aren't unisex, eh? That would make things a lot easier for you.
• Statistically speaking, Trans people are far FAR more likely to be the victims of abuse or violence than commit it. It's their safety that is at stake here.
• I don't know if you've noticed, but men have been peeing beside your sons their whole life, literally in the case of urinals. I don't see the same outrage about that.
•Trans men exist too, but you probably hadn't even thought about that, much less cared... That's the way it shouold be, to be honest.
If the idea about you, or your children, or anyone else sharing a bathroom with a trans person bothers you, well, get used to it. Chances are you've been sharing public bathrooms with trans people for years and not even known. Personally, I'm fully in favour of unisex toilets being the norm. I don't understand what the big deal is. Everyone locks themselves in a cubicle anyway, nobody sees anything. The university near where I live, which I go to see gigs at, has unisex loos, and guess what... IT'S FINE. People pee in private, the washing facilities are well lit and visible from the corridor. It's fine. If anything, they're safer than segregates toilets, it's a win for everybody.
