In the wake of recent events, now more than ever, it is important to educate yourself on the rights of and issues facing Transgender folks. You've probably seen at least something on the Internet regarding what is colloquially referred to as "bathroom laws" in the United States. For those of you who do not know, there has been increased proposed, and passed, legislation attempting to prevent Transgender folks from using the restroom that matches their gender identity, not the sex they were assigned at birth. You may be wondering why the use of any particular restroom is anyone's business but the person choosing the restroom they go into and I'd tend to agree; it really is no one's business attempting to make public spaces less safe for Transgender folks, especially spaces as intimate as bathrooms.

Before I begin, I will preface this article by saying that I am a cisgender person has only faced gender-based discrimination as a ciswoman. Furthermore, this article is meant to comment on the current laws and conversations regarding the rights of Transgender people in public spaces, not to give an overview of terminology. If you would like a brief overview of terminology, check out Trans People Speak's Trans 101 to learn more. And if you find that you are concerned about how to interact with a Transgender person outside of a conversation regarding their gender identity, there is a WikiHow article, just for you!

This topic recently came into prominence thanks to the passing of North Carolina's House Bill 2, the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, which bans individuals from using a restroom that does not match their biological sex. There has even been a hotline created by the North Carolina governor to report anyone that may be suspected of using the "wrong" bathroom. This is not just an issue in North Carolina; in Oxford, Alabama, a law was recently passed that would put any individual who is using a restroom that does not match with their birth certificate six months in jail. Even in more progressive states, like my home state of Massachusetts, there is still no formal legislation passed (yet) that protects Transgender individuals in public spaces.

And the American public is, bafflingly, angry at the desire for individuals to access bathrooms without fear. Several companies, including Target, have released statements in support of acceptance of Transgender individuals in the bathrooms that match their gender identity. Now, the American Family Association has created a petition to boycott Target with currently over 1.1 million signers. All of these people should probably be told that they need to boycott hundreds of other companies as well for their LGBT friendly policies.

As a ciswoman, I cannot adequately speak to the experiences of Transgender folks facing discrimination and, therefore, cannot and should not use my access to this platform to speak over them. Instead, I have asked a friend, a nonbinary and Transgender individual, who was kind enough to contribute to this article and had this to say:

The argument of whether a Transgender person has the right to use the bathroom of their identified gender is blowing up across social media. There are articles on every popular news site with every opinion out there. And before we can get into much here, it is important to know that a Transgender person is NOT any different from anyone else.

Someone who identifies as Transgender or gender nonconforming is just another human who does not feel that their gender aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth. Transgender people are people too and have to use the bathroom while in public, just like anyone else, and I'm sure you know that sometimes using public restrooms isn't the best experience. Now imagine what it would be like if you were inspected, with a full bladder, before being allowed to enter the bathroom. Imagine being barred from peeing just because old white conservative men are afraid of you.

Everyone has the right to pee, regardless of their genitals. The fact state governments have the power to deny me, or any of my fellow trans people, the right to use the bathroom that we identify with, is terrifying. The fact that we are still getting assaulted in public bathrooms is absurd, and needs to change. We deserve to feel just as safe in public places as anyone else.

I encourage everyone to educate yourself, to break down the ignorance in our society that causes so much harm. We are all people, and we all deserve the same love and acceptance. It is not an easy thing to accept change, but it is happening anyways. We will not stop fighting to have the same rights that everyone else has, and we will not stop fighting against the hate crimes that happen every day.

I encourage all of you reading this to take a step back and try to understand that this is not an issue of cisgender people feeling comfortable, but Transgender folks being safe. Many argue that allowing transwomen to access women's restrooms will put ciswomen at risk of assault. Others say that allowing Transgender folks into restrooms that match their gender identity and not their assigned sex at birth will upset and hurt their children. But how many transwomen have assaulted individuals, including children, in restrooms? Zero.

You, and your children, whether you knew it or not, have shared a bathroom with a trans person before.

You were fine.