As someone who is not cisgender, my life is very confusing at times. On the one hand, I truly love my identity as life has been a lot more enjoyable ever since I changed my pronouns. But on the other hand, there are still many problems that I run into.
It is true that people nowadays are generally more accepting of different gender identities/sexualities. That being said, people like me still find this world to be black and white in terms of what is deemed “normal.” I personally identify as nonbinary, meaning that I am neither male nor female. So as someone who does not fit into society’s “standards,” public accommodations tend to be lacking.
There is one that I run into quite frequently, and it is more simple than you would think: at a majority of the places I go, there is no restroom for me to use. Around early August of 2021, I went on a camping trip with my family. The trip was for five days, and the lake we stayed at had restrooms available. But there are only male and female ones. For almost a week straight, I was forced to use those restrooms, constantly being reminded that society still does not view my identity as “real.” It was humiliating. I am absolutely not alone in this.
However, there are some very simple ways to help transgender people everywhere feel more included in society. Having gender-neutral restrooms is most important. There are a plethora of reasons why public institutions should install them. The main reason is that the whole concept of gender is a spectrum and is forever growing. It is so much larger than just “male” and “female,” a binary that is outdated and has been for a long time. People deserve to feel comfortable enough to use the restroom, regardless of their identity.
My school has had gender-neutral restrooms installed since the school was founded a few decades ago. My school is showing respect for all its students, not just those who are cisgender/heterosexual. But this is still only the first step towards creating a safer space for all kinds of people.
It is also important that schools and organizations add more than one or two gender-neutral restrooms since everyone. Since my school is two floors, we only have two total. Although I am grateful that we even have any, with just one per floor, it can get severely limiting and irritating. For example, if one is already occupied, you either wait or use the stairs to get to the other one. But if they are both occupied, that then leaves you with three options; stand and waste class/break time, hold it until you get home and run the risk of a urinary tract infection, or use a gendered bathroom instead, which is horribly invalidating, no one should have to do this. Everyone uses these gender-neutral restrooms, which is justified, as that is the whole point of having them. But for people like me, they are likely the only option. So tell me, how are we not supposed to feel alienated when only the bare minimum is being done? The simplest solution is adding enough restrooms so that everyone can use them.
After that is accomplished, the next step is to monitor them just as much as the gendered ones. Recently, at my school, for more than two weeks, the restroom upstairs was out of hand soap. During those two weeks, it was closed an entire day for supposed “cleaning.” But even after it reopened, it was still out of hand soap. When things like this happen, it feels as though the gender-neutral restrooms are less important or that they are not worth the upkeep. I hope it is not meant that way, but issues like these are easily avoidable. They should not happen as often as they do.
The world needs to wake up and realize that there are more than just two genders. We cannot continue to let public institutions invalidate people using something so simple as a restroom. Stop denying people their basic human rights.
- United States
As a trans masc, I definitely agree with this I always feel dysmorphic when I see the painted letters in school bathrooms that says “she leaves sparkles wherever she goes”