What if the most dangerous part of your day was using a public restroom? How would that impact your quality of life knowing you had to plan your day around avoiding public bathrooms becuase you would be putting yourself at serious risk of harassment or assault?
For most transgender/non-binary people, this isn’t a rhetorical question; it’s an unjust fact of life. Anyone paying attention to LGBTQ+ issues right now understands the barriers around equal rights for transgender people as it relates to public bathroom access. It’s an injustice still perpetuated and endorsed in this country, as evidenced by last year when North Carolina made it state law requiring people must use the public bathroom which corresponded to their assigned gender at birth. This bill was repealed last Thursday.
Are you open to educating yourself on this issue? Rachel Lucas’ Tedx Talk below does a great job as summarizing the surprising history of public restrooms (they weren’t always separate!) and highlights the dangers most transgender/non-binary people face everyday when accessing public restrooms. She challenges the myths around gender neutral bathrooms as they relate to the safety of cisgender (non-transgender) individuals.
Click here for the Tedx Talk Why You Can Pee Next To Me by Rachel Lucas
Rachel Lucas is the HR Training & Development Specialist for RANGE Consulting, which is part of the GLBT Community Center of Colorado. Check ’em out!
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