Following the Trump administration decision’s to revoke guidelines issued by former President Barack Obama which permitted transgender students to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity in public schools, a fierce battle led by a chaotic up mix of myths, facts, and opinions and in some cases, bizarre stories emerged at the forefront of America’s contemporary social landscape.
Transgender bathroom rights have in fact remained at the center of the nation’s roaring LGBTQ+ movement since the state of North Carolina first passed a law two years which restricted members of the transgender community to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity and not their biological sex.
The Fear of Violence Myth
Vocal right-wing supporters of the law have unfortunately perpetrated a myth against the establishment of transgender bathroom access by twisting and fabricating an argument which factually, objectively and statistically supports transgender couples’ right to have access to safe bathrooms – the ‘fear of violence’ falsehood.
Therefore, the most widely used defence which has spearheaded under ‘anti-trans’ bathroom narrative suggests that allowing transgender couples and individuals to use bathrooms which align with how they identify would actually provide an opportunity for sexual predators to ‘dress up’ as women and take advantage of females by entering public bathrooms under disguise.
At this point, the critical question which arises to the surface raises this inquiry – what proof do the proponents of this view actually have? The answer…well it’s ZERO. According to police department data gathered from 19 states and 200 cities which currently allow rightful access to transgender bathrooms across America, there is not even a single reported case where a sexual predator manipulated the presence of transgender bathroom rights in an area to mask as a woman and assault young girls and females. The information presented by law enforcement authorities corroborates with the perspective forwarded by private investigators in several states as well as private investigators in OKC who agree with this view as well.
On the other hand, there are countless instances of transgender couples and individuals getting sexually assaulted; being a target of physical violence and harassment in situations when they were compelled to use bathrooms that merely corresponded with their biological sex and not their gender identity. This data is verifiable by the data provided by law enforcement agencies and private investigators in addition to the private investigators in OKC. In essence, the ‘fear of violence’ narrative championed in right-wing media is nothing but a fallacy which aims to wrongly influence and terrorize non-trans women and parents into believing that revoking transgender bathroom rights would somehow keep them more safe and secure from possible attacks by sexual predators and criminals that could potentially use rightful trans access to bathrooms to their advantage.
Not only does this false contention make non-trans people wary of transgender individuals and look at them with suspicious eyes, it also aims to play with the emotions of the trans community by somehow making them feel responsible for demanding their rights. However, the fact of the matter is that trans access to bathrooms which correspond with their gender identity does not contribute to violence against women in any shape or form. Therefore, transgender couples and individuals should use public restrooms they feel comfortable with, without feeling guilty, culpable or blameworthy because there is no evidence to prove that their presence has any negative repercussions for women as perpetrated by anti-trans activists and simply because it is for their own safety, which can otherwise be compromised in gendered bathrooms.
Being transgender is a valid state. It is not a fantasy, an illusion or a phase. In fact, medical and psychological practitioners across the globe are in agreement with the view that a person’s gender identity can indeed differ from their biological sex. Moreover, being able to recognize and come to terms with this idea can work wonders for an individual’s mental health and well-being.
With a plethora of anti-trans narrative floating on the surface of society as more and more transgender couples and individuals come to the forefront and celebrate who they are, it has become important to demand transgender rights to protection more openly and enhance visibility rather than choosing to stay in the shadows. Even though, it may seem like a small choice in the grander scheme of things, as a transgender couple, you should not take a step back from freely and openly exercising your rights to access the bathroom of your choice. Your decision to do so can be eye opening for those who have been fed myths and lies about transgender bathroom rights in the media as they will become more comfortable with sharing spaces with members of the trans community. Even though, public bathrooms may feel like a battleground right now, visibility, inclusivity and acceptance would eventually shun this fear which stems from hatred and falsehood away for the greater good of nation and society itself. Moreover, law enforcement agencies and private investigators’ data about the reality of violence against transgender individuals can be used to present the real picture about the situation. Accordingly, transgender couples that have experienced any kind of discrimination should be more willing to bring up the injustices against them to light by hiring private investigators in OKC to help build and strengthen their case. This will help spread awareness about such matters amongst the general public.
