Roman Kavanagh
Opinions Editor
Wednesday, Nov. 20 was Transgender Day of Remembrance, an annual observance to honor the transgender people who have lost their lives due to anti-trans violence. Additionally, it was the day that Speaker Mike Johnson announced that transgender women are barred from using bathrooms in the Capitol that correspond with their gender identity (The Hill).
This declaration came in response to the election of the first-ever openly transgender senator in American history, Sarah McBride, a Democrat from Delaware. McBride came out as a transgender woman in 2012 through an article in her school’s newspaper, “The Eagle,” titled “Op-Ed: The Real Me.” In this article, McBride says that she began to understand her gender identity at a very young age. Simultaneous to this personal discovery, McBride was kindling an early love for politics. She writes, “I wrestled with the idea that my dream and my identity seemed mutually exclusive; I had to pick. So I picked what I thought was easier and wouldn’t disappoint people.”
This sentiment of being unable to achieve true authenticity while making it in the world is all too poignant a reflection of the recent discriminatory ruling at the Capitol. Sarah McBride responded to Speaker Johnson’s decision in a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter). She writes, “I’m not here to fight about bathrooms. I’m here to fight for Delawareans and to bring down the costs facing families. Like all members, I will follow the rules outlined by Speaker Johnson, even if I disagree with them.”
This level-headed reply from McBride is a testament to her character and elegance. However, the fact that this is an issue at all in Congress sheds light on a broader trend of transphobia and discrimination sweeping the country. Trans Legislation Tracker (or translegislation.com) reports 165 total bathroom-related anti-trans bills being considered across the U.S. since 2015.
In 2024 alone, 29 anti-trans bathroom bills have been considered. “Nearly a decade after North Carolina's infamous HB2, bathroom bills continue to be proposed.” (Trans Legislation Tracker, 2024) As residents of one of the most liberal states in the country, we may instinctively assume that these attacks have no impact on us. But in reality, over 84 bills have been introduced at a federal level in 2024, on topics ranging from healthcare, education, and yes, bathrooms.
At the very least, our own Rhode Island College is overwhelmingly a place of inclusivity and sanctuary for the transgender community. Our college has 60 gender-neutral bathroom facilities across campus, two designated queer spaces (The Unity Center, located right of Donovan Dining Hall & the Lavender Lounge, located on the fourth floor of the Student Union), and a recently established Queer Studies minor run by an excellent department. Additionally, I can personally commend the Inclusive Housing program at RIC, which has led me to room with some of the most supportive and excellent people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.
Moving away from that light (and necessary) digression, and back to the tough stuff, we can look together at the issue of anti-trans rhetoric. Particularly, the reasoning behind why so many Americans and their politicians are vehemently opposed to something as simple as the right of trans people to use the bathroom in dignity.
We’ve all heard the terrifying hypothetical of the predatory man masquerading as a woman, waltzing into the women’s restroom and preying on our young, helpless daughters. This bizarre and exaggerated phraseology is directly borrowed from the candid arguments I have heard from many well-intentioned, ignorant people.
There are a lot of things wrong with this way of thinking besides the obvious offensive stereotyping. I can personally attest as a transgender person that I have zero interest in existing in a public bathroom for longer than absolutely necessary. This “bathroom predator myth” has been thoroughly debunked by police, sexual assault victims, school officials and experts across the board. Laura Palumbo, Communications Director at the National Sexual Violence Resource Center states: “In the facts of sexual violence [and] of rape and sexual assault, one of the most vulnerable populations there are is the transgender population.”
Indeed, the majority of violence in public restrooms is enacted upon transgender individuals, not by them. It is worth referencing the tragic case of Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary high schooler from Oklahoma who died the day following an attack in their school’s girls’ restroom. Benedict’s death was ruled to be the result of a drug-induced suicide. The event sparked controversy among civil rights groups that marked the rise of anti-transgender bathroom bills as a factor in their death. Indeed, Benedict had faced bullying for over a year as a result of their gender identity and suffered serious injuries from the assault that occurred on the day before their death.
This is the world that we are living in. The deliberate and targeted attack by Speaker Mike Johnson towards Senator McBride was only a microcosm of a much larger societal issue. By barring transgender individuals from using the bathroom which corresponds to their gender identity, we are perpetuating a misguided and detrimental fallacy of judgment. The transgender community is in no way likely to come out of the public spotlight for social controversy any time soon. This barbaric act of depriving transgender people of basic respect and dignity must be carefully documented and refuted as the murky tides of human rights violations in America continue to swell.
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