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An excellent commentary from Mischa Haider and Bruce Hay.
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Collectively and openly, in their rainbow of appearances, they should enter gendered spaces in defiance of the segregationists. The movement needs a ground campaign, a peaceful series of “pee-ins” across the nation that will bring a face and an image to this struggle. Americans need to know that trans people exist and use facilities like any other person, and should not be intimidated or threatened for the way they look. The nation needs to see the diversity of transgender identities safely and peacefully using gendered facilities and standing up to threats to their humanity. They should understand that existence and acceptance of people born with nonconforming bodies is not what threatens the peace and safety of our society, but the violent threats and actions of those who cannot tolerate human difference.
Without such a public campaign that will raise awareness, even laws granting legal protections to trans individuals will do little to change the daily intimidation and violence that trans people face in gendered facilities. Organizations fighting to stem the tide of transphobic legislation should also work to inform the public about the rights of and the risks facing gender-nonconforming people using gendered facilities. Everyone would be well served if signs were posted explicitly stating that intimidation, violence, or threats will not be tolerated against any person in those facilities, regardless of how they look, and that anyone who experiences or witnesses such aggression should report it. Additionally, men who make murderous threats against trans individuals for entering bathrooms with their “wives and daughters” need to be held accountable.
Of course, we must all fight transphobic laws in the legislatures and in courts, tooth and nail. However, we will gain most by pushing hard for acceptance and equality at the same time as fighting off oppression. States like North Carolina are a lightning rod, for their blatant and outrageous legal segregation, but let us remember that even in Massachusetts, a bill granting trans individuals protections in public accommodations is languishing on the governor’s desk. Trans activists and advocates need to show our politicians that the cause for justice will not wait, and that we mean it when we say that the incitements to murder, assault, and suicide must stop now. A broad grassroots ground campaign bringing transgender Americans from across the spectrum openly and peacefully into the gendered spaces where they are comfortable, in front of the nation and the world, will show just that.
Let us resolve to be more visible. All of us, transgender and cisgender, in every shade and stripe of presentation. Transgender and gender-nonconforming people should determine for themselves who they are and which facility they use, and not be governed by the bigotries of the segregationist who, like the Walrus, conceals his violence with nonsense syllables.
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I’m all for pee-ins. Everywhere. People having to pee while they are out an about should not be an issue, and it’s beyond absurd that it’s become such an issue here in uStates.
… it’s beyond absurd that it’s become such an issue here in uStates.
We should replace “In God Wet Rust” with “Beyond Absurd” as the official national motto.
It would certainly be fitting.
They rationalize it by claiming that this’ll incite straight men to hang out in women’s restrooms, claiming to be transgendered, so they can rape women.
Once again, it comes down to the behavior of rapists, being accommodated.
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Cicely:
I know that, but that’s so fucking stupid it’s just…oh rats below, I don’t even have words for that depth of fucking stupid. Bathrooms are not overly popular places for rapes, because of the likelihood of being disturbed and caught. Now, a trans man who is muscled and bearded, but not packing a penis in his pants, has to use the women’s room. And that’s not gonna cause a fucking fuss?
It’s not just the bigotry and hate, it’s the complete, absolute idiocy which underlies it. These people know damn well the reasoning is not legit and that it’s stupid, but it’s the only convenient way to legislate their bigotry.
I’m reminded a bit of the early ’60s when guys who grew their hair long were harassed and beaten. There appears to be a certain number of people who take it as a personal affront when others don’t conform to their image of propriety. Why they think such a difference gives them the right to behave meanly and viciously, I haven’t figured out. The one thing I note is that long hair on guys no longer elicits such behavior. I think it took about 20 years for it to become totally acceptable, maybe a little less. Since the restroom issue involves ‘unmentionable’ body parts and excretory functions, it wouldn’t surprise me if it took society a similar amount of time to fully adapt. Not saying that such is ok nor that there won’t be small victories along the way but equality is just not going to happen overnight.
Die Anyway:
Yeah, I remember. That still hasn’t gone away in a good portion of uStates.
And an even easier cover for a cis man would-be assailant.
Anat:
Oh yes. They are paving the way.
I already will use a restroom designated for men if need be, if the lines are too long, if it’s a peemergency, if the women’s room is too stinky for words. This gives me a reason to do that more, with principles.
My in-laws are getting ready to open their brick and mortar restaurant. The bathroom signs they ordered are neutral/inclusive. Sure, our state has dictated (for now) that people have to use specific gendered facilities, but they haven’t yet dictated that the facilities offered have to be gendered. So.
I can’t not read this as “micro states,” which makes me giggle.
Anyway I appreciate your coverage of this… debacle, Caine. I certainly don’t have the energy to wade through transphobic garbage on the daily. You were always reliable back-up in the comments and continue to be such with your own blog. <3
-Shiv
Siobhan @ 10:
Ice Swimmer reads it the same way. It fits, I think. There isn’t a country of any sort any more, it’s just various states going bugfuck over this, that, and the other.
Oh, no problem. I don’t have the energy to write much about it, it’s emotionally exhausting just reading about, and seeing the constant stack of bigotry and hate growing bigger and bigger. A long time ago (somewhere in the ’80s), I used to think the US was a nation of backward adolescents. Now I think it’s full of backward, temperamental toddlers.
I had a cat who had pee-ins on my shoes whenever I did something she didn’t like. I think that’s a perfectly reasonable response to these politicians.
Of course, she didn’t approve of anything I did, so there were lots of pee-ins. I think that’s also a perfectly reasonable response to these politicians.