The debate on bathrooms continues in Indiana.
Senate Bill 35 was introduced in 2015 and stated that one could only use the bathroom that matched your birth sex. It was defeated before it came up for a vote, but it’s anticipated that more “bathroom bills” are on their way for 2016.
The ideology of the “bathroom wars” centers on fears that are completely untrue. Here are the top five myths, debunked:
1. I will be raped in the bathroom.
Statistics show that, when transgender individuals use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity, there is no increased sexual violence in the loo. As a matter of fact, it’s quite the opposite.
Seventy percent of trans people report
being denied access, verbally harassed, or physically assaulted in public restrooms. Forcing them to use the restroom listed on their original birth certificate puts transgender people in more danger than cis people.
2. My child will be endangered while using the restroom.
Transgender individuals are no more prone to pedophilia than others. There’s no increased risk of this. Also, crimes that occur in the bathroom are still crimes, they are just not statistically
committed by transpeople.
3. We should just have gender neutral bathrooms for transgender people.
Great idea – let’s segregate them completely. Like we used to do with “White Only” water faucets.
4. Transgender people using my bathroom is something new.
I’d be willing to bet that trans people have been washing their hands next to you in restrooms for years, and you haven’t even known it. They didn’t just recently start using the facilities.
5. A transgender person in my restroom is the scariest thing about bathrooms.
Really? Annually, 40,000 people re¬port injuries caused by toilets, and 1,300 people are bitten on the hind quarters by black widow spiders crawling out of the commode. Plus, Elvis died on the toilet.
We don’t worry about any of these terrible happenings when using the restroom. But we worry about a trans person? A transgender person who is statistically more likely to be harmed in a public bathroom than anyone else? The entire debate is illogical.
The bottom line is this: Transgender people are just that – people. People who have to pee. And they deserve to do so in a safe, judgement-free environment.
We’ve spent most of our lives not even thinking about who’s in our rest¬rooms. And suddenly, it’s on our minds, and there’s fear – the same fear trans individuals have had for years. We’re all more alike than we think.
