I was talking to my therapist yesterday about this, before this news dropped. How I couldn't wait to get my new ID card with an F on it so that I could finally go to the bathroom without too much fear. If someone happened to spot that maybe I was trans, I could just put it out and say "look, I'm a woman" and walk away.
But she was in disbelief at this. She genuinely couldn't wrap her head around the idea of someone making a scene because a trans person was in their bathroom. Like, at first, she thought I was blowing up a non existent issue. "Who would do this?!", she asked, And I told her it was an actual issue that lots of people were doing it and therefore lots of trans people avoided the bathroom like the plague.
And when I told her about some US states new laws, taking Utah as an example, her jaw dropped. She had this look of utter disappointment, like I had just chipped away a piece of her faith in humanity.
Not only did the idea never crossed her mind, she couldn't even conceive why it would be a problem. I laughed at this and told her: "That's because you're a normal person."
Just wanted to share this with all of you, especially fellow trans people. It's good to know that while some people are mentally deranged at the idea of my existence, It not only seems to be a very loud minority, but it also seems to be a repellent for a lot of people who cannot grasp their obsessions.
Seeing someone who isn't really aware of our issues in the first place being shocked at these things was relieving. It felt good and gave me hope.
Even though I rationally understand it, I still have a hard time wrapping my head around it. Let someone shit in peace. If I'm in the men's room and someone comes in there that looks like a woman dressed as a man, I couldn't care less.
In fact, if someone came into the men's room and looked like Marylin Monroe in the famous white dress, I couldn't care less.
Piss, shit, whatever.
Just don't talk to me. I'm not in there to make friends.
They like to bring up the "a man could wear a dress and go into the women's room and rape a little girl" canard. To which I reply, "they'd probably get away with that more easily if they wore a janitor's uniform. We really should ban janitors from bathrooms."
I may be pulling something out of my ass but I honestly can't be bothered to check. But, wasn't this something that was said about lesbian women too? That they shouldn't be allowed in women's bathroom because they would pry on other women and so on?
There’s three acceptable forms of communication in the restroom: functional (eg after you), quick compliments on outfit/makeup (some dislike it but it grew on me), and the far too drunk lady who speaks the wisdom she cannot possess
Damn your therapist kinda sucks though, like how does she not know? And is simultaneously giving mental health care to a trans person? To me, that would be extremely disappointing. It's good that it never occurred to her it would be a problem, but she is atrociously uninformed given that the bathroom laws have been going on for a few years at least.
I'm not from the US nor the UK. This kind of nonsense is only starting to happen in my country, trans people are still something most people don't know about. She doesn't know much about trans issues, but that's not why I went to see her in the first place, I needed help with some other things (autism) which she is particularly qualified to deal with. She is willing to learn and is open minded on trans issues, that's all I can ask for, she is great. :)
Whenever I walk into a public restroom, I whip out my portable lab equipment and forcibly karyotype everyone there. How else am I supposed to piss for 20 seconds in peace?