A recent debate has sparked controversy regarding the Washington State regulation that guarantees access to public restrooms, locker rooms, and other such facilities to any person's gender identity. Right now law states that if you identify as a male you would use the male restroom, and a female would use the female restroom, and any other identity on the gender spectrum could use the family restroom. It seems straightforward to some, but for the trans community it's a little more complicated than that.
Restroom access for transgender people has become a heated issue around the country. An estimated 3.5 percent of adults in the United States identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual and about 0.3 percent of adults are transgender. That does not include the millions of transgender youth who also have to deal with locker room and restroom availability.
Max, a Bellingham resident who identifies as transmasculine (someone assigned a female sex at birth and who identifies as masculine) uses the men's room or the family restroom because he is more comfortable with this when presenting masculine. He has facial hair, and a deep voice. "I don't think women would be very comfortable with me in [their] bathroom,” Max says, as Max is very perceptive to other people and knows that not everyone will understand how he -- like many others in the trans community -- identifies.
On Dec. 26, 2015, a state regulation went into effect that guarantees access to restrooms, locker rooms, and other such facilities according to a person's gender identity. It affects public and private buildings. At WWU there are also gender-neutral bathrooms, which have been popping up in many places around Washington state. The neutral bathrooms are fantastic because they allow for many people within the trans community who aren’t comfortable making that step to the other bathroom or are scared of what others will think or do. These bathrooms usually come with locks on the door, so if you don’t want anyone walking in, you have the convenience of privacy.
A bill that would eliminate the December ruling is currently being debated in the Washington State Senate. A committee hearing this past Wednesday, Jan. 26, drew a large crowd of supporters as well as people who oppose the new bill.
Senator Doug Ericksen of Ferndale says that this new bill will ensure that "The boys will use the boy's locker room and the girls will use the girls' locker room." However, there is not much agreement on who are the boys and who are the girls. This is not a simple matter, it is a debate that has people discussing body parts and the details of transitioning from one gender to another. Ultimately this fight has started pitting one person's safety against another's.
We should call into question why the supporters are lumping together bathrooms and locker rooms. Locker rooms are really very different from bathrooms. Bathrooms are closed off and you can't see what the other person is doing. It's private, and even in public you can choose to go into a locked stall door in either the male or female restroom. Locker rooms are extremely open for the most part. Many people in the trans community resort to changing in their cars or in family restrooms to avoid having to change in a locker room where one might receive unwanted stares or snide remarks.
Supporters of the new bill say this is not some kind of judgment or castigation of the transgender community, as some people could use the unquestioned access to carry out sexual assaults. The issue is that many people do not want men in women's restrooms, but that is victimizing men and transgender people. For a woman, yes, it would most likely be very uncomfortable to turn around in a locker room and see male anatomy. But the majority of transgender people know this, and thus choose to change in private.
There are already very strong laws saying it is illegal if people enter a restroom to harass, assault or invade the privacy of other people. This is a valid fear for any one. No matter who you are or how you identify, we all have the right to be able to use the bathroom or change in a locker room without fear of being discriminated or harassed. There is though, an entire community of people unable to use the restroom of their choice in the first place. With that said, If you are uncomfortable with the idea of changing in a locker room with a transgender person, you can use a family locker room or change in a stall. That is what people within the trans community have to do on a regular basis.
In the end, all people really want is to feel safe in their own skin. No law can guarantee that, and no authority can cater to every single person’s needs. It is important to know yourself and to know what you are comfortable with. Use your best judgement, and be respectful. This will lead to safer bathroom and locker room spaces in the future.