In every way imaginable, our world has been painstakingly gendered, gendered in ways that have been deemed socially acceptable by those in power. It’s time for a change. Simply put, the gender binary no longer serves a constructive purpose and therefore has no reason to stick around. With a plethora of trans friends that fall all throughout the gender spectrum, that all share the humane and imperative urge to urinate, this topic affects me and my LGBTQ+ friends greatly, as well as the community as a whole.
In more cases than not, transgender folks are blatantly overlooked and rejected in many ways. Trans youth need to have a place where they can urinate without fear of any discomfort or discrimination, this includes harassment, verbal, physical, you name it. I mean, shouldn’t everyone be able to pee in peace? Statistics show that 80% of trans youth avoid bathrooms due to discomfort, and 59% of trans youth use a bathroom they don’t identify with (Facts About Trans Youth). These statistics are rising at an alarming rate, too.
The gender binary (boy or girl) is implemented throughout our society so harshly that most people perceive gender as either man or woman, boy or girl, and are often not aware of non-binary people’s existence if any. This is not the case. Many trans people identify as non-binary, but there are only two bathrooms: men’s and women’s. A whopping 35% of all trans-youth are non-binary and are obligated to use a washroom of a gender they don’t identify with (Health of Non-binary and Genderqueer People: A Systematic Review). What’s stopping us from simply supplying gender-neutral bathrooms? Studies show that suicide attempts among trans folks drop by 46% when schools, families, businesses, and/or places of worship show simple support (Facts About Trans Youth)! It’s so easy, and the bar is so low to save a trans person’s life, so, why don’t we do it?
Gender-neutral bathrooms will easily eliminate the common possibility of violence within binary bathrooms. Most trans people have experienced some type of violence or abuse in the bathroom when simply minding their business (Facts About Suicide). Investing money into gender-neutral bathrooms will not only decrease the frequency of violence, but this will also create a comfortable space, allow people to be themselves, and keep trans youth safe.
I beg you to ask yourself, if we as a whole, stand together as one, is there anything we cannot do? The answer is no. When we stand together as one, all will rise. Rising up against bigots, transphobes, homophobes and general jerks will lead to a fantastic world where everyone is welcome to be themselves. And our first step? Gender-neutral bathrooms supplied anywhere where people are.