Trans rights to access public toilets has been a big debate recently. And if you wade through the misinformation and hateful statements you will find a load of excuses why people are getting upset about the idea of a transgender woman using a public restroom, but you won’t find its core reason.
The arguments around this topic are convoluted to say the least.
Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist groups like the ReSisters claim that women are at risk of sexual violence due to ‘the loss of single sex toilet provision that is occurring in the UK’. They fear that allowing Trans people into women’s toilets will mean that men will see this as an opportunity to self-id as Trans, and be a viable way to enter this space and sexually assault whoever they want.
According to the Office of National Statistics database there are no statistics of Transgender women assaulting Cisgender women in toilets. There is however, a study on this specific matter conducted in the US which concluded: ‘there has never been a verifiable reported instance of a Trans person harassing a cisgender person, nor have there been any confirmed reports of male predators “pretending” to be Transgender to gain access to women’s spaces and commit crimes against them’ (MIC.com).
Last month it was reported in the Telegraph that J K Rowling said that Gender Neutral toilets are ‘sacrificing’ the dignity of girls’. But if dignity and respect were really her concern then why aren’t the Trans community allowed this too… you know, the basic human right to go to the toilet.
When we break it down to its bare bones, and ask the question: why shouldn’t trans people use public toilets? The real reason is revealed. And there is only one answer… discrimination.
Public Toilets have been used as a tool for discrimination throughout history.
This isn’t the first time that loos have been weaponised. In fact, every hundred years this argument crops up. Just long enough for us to forget it.
1850’s Europe
Public toilets are a luxury that we have come to know so well but in the Victorian era this was a new concept.
This modern principle allowed people to move around society and socialise away from the home for longer. And when I say people, I mean just men of course. At this point in time it was the equality of women that threatened society therefore women’s public toilets were not a thing.
In fact, this was so heavily debated at the time that it was given its own name: ‘The Loo Leash’.
It was criticised as part of the suffragette movement as without access to toilets, women were excluded from public spaces for extended periods of time. With only the home to go to the toilet, this meant they were discouraged from finding work and even unable to shop for themselves. No toilets for women effectively ensured that they were isolated to the home; a patriarchal dream.
1950’s USA
Fast forward 100 years and we have the same tactic used again but this time to marginalise a different group.
The Jim Crow laws enforced racial segregation in the USA. This meant that Black people were not allowed to go to the same schools, use the same water fountains and… you guessed it, public toilets as White people.
Why? Well the Jim Crow laws had one agenda only: to isolate Black people from society.
And it worked. Because of these laws Black people were not able to access the same public services, apply for the same jobs, get the same education as White people.
The divide created a hierarchy where White people were given superior treatment in every aspect of life.
Feels like Déjà Vu, doesn’t it?
With all of that in mind isn’t it oh so reminiscent of what’s going on now!
We are at it again in the 2020’s, although this time we’re a little ahead of the 100 year cycle.
But it just goes to show that it’s not about toilets, it never has been. It’s always been a method of creating a divide, of removing rights from a group and erasing their existence from society.
Going to the toilet is a basic human right, so by not allowing Trans people to use public toilets they are being dehumanised. So let’s call it what it actually is: public humiliation.
Trans people should be allowed to exist in public spaces and they should be allowed the decency to use a public toilet. For too long celebrities, media outlets and politicians have been masquerading their transphobia as ‘feminism’ but history shows that it is the same tried and tested tactic.
We must learn from history and remember that it’s never really about toilets.