Use Whichever Bathroom You Think You Should

Yesterday, there was a pretty interesting story about how the City Commission on Human Rights now allows transgendered people to use whichever bathrooms they want to use. Some incidents where transgender women felt they were being discriminated against when using the bathrooms at the Manhattan Mall and another office building led to the new ruling, and the Post took the opportunity to accompany Semaj Bogan, who considers herself to be a woman (even though she was born a man), to the ladies' room at the Manhattan Mall to get some quality quotes, like "You don't belong in here!" and "Are you a lady?" Plus the same woman yelled "Pull down your pants. Let me see your penis!" outside the women's room. Please, it's the Manhattan Mall - Gothamist is so sure that a transgender woman is not the oddest thing to be in that bathroom. And other shoppers were actually very supportive of Bogan using the ladies' room. We're actually pretty impressed that the City Commission now has such a wide interpretation of the law. But to tell the truth, even though they don't identify themselves as men, tons of women bum rush men's rooms since the women's room at various concert halls, ballparks, and theaters are too crowded. In fact, Gothamist is more concerned about equalizing bathroom rights for men and women; we wonder what happened to the City Council's old proposal.

Reader Jason reminds us that World of Wonder wrote about Amanda Lepore getting kicked out of the Paladium bathroom last fall.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on April 19, 2005 11:38 AM

Comments [rss]

Treyton Hildreth

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are leading the

toyochin

We wouldn't have this problem if we'd just all wise up and start wearing adult diapers.

chl

The City Council is still considering another version of the bathroom equity bill: see Intro 42-2004 - Equal access to bathroom facilities

Nada

Chen Yung:

It's written that way because that's correct grammar. "Ladies", as a word, has an "s" on the end, thus, the post-s-apostrophe. "Women", as a word, has no "s" on the end, so it get an apostrophe-s.

Chen Yung

Why would you write "ladies' room" with the apostrophe after the "s", but "women's room" with it before?

By the way, nice attempt at blocking me from commenting. Better luck with that in the future.

Holly

The "family restroom" is totally going to be the wave of the future. These are usually single-stall locking bathrooms that can also meet the standards for handicapped accessibility, and like JP said are good for families.

PLUS, now they're also good for anyone who doesn't feel comfortable in the multi-person usual men's & women's bathrooms... whether that's because they're transgendered or because they don't want to be near someone who's transgendered. A single-occupancy lockable bathroom is also the safest option if you're alone late at night in some place where you're worried about being in a stall with practically no lock and your pants around your ankles.

Plus of course it's one more bathroom for overflow purposes. With all this in mind, wouldn't it be cool if there were a whole row of locking little booths, fully surrounded by real walls not flimsy stalls, with a row of sinks outside? (And one bigger one for diaper changing / handicapped access)

More bathrooms for more people!

Max

"Courtesy flushes are for pussies" Love it

HR

I can't wait to sit down and take a massive Taco Bell dump, after drinking PBR all night, watching the toes on some skirt's uncessesarily expensive shoes curl up in horror at the smell and sounds. Courtesy flushes are for pussies.

The first time some chick with a dick yells at me for pissing all over the seat I can't wait to remind him/her that at least I put it down for him/her.

JP

Lately I've been seeing "family restrooms" in a number of places which seem like a good idea to me - that way men or women can take their boy or girl into a restroom and no one feels weird.

Bob

Given issues like this it is only a matter of time before the urinal is a thing of the past and all bathrooms consist of stalls. I will miss the troughs that put guys elbow to elbow in stadium men's rooms.

sadao

Furthering the Bathroom Debate or "Pee Wars" with a thoughtful analysis of the gender issues that transfolk challenge for us all:

http://www.makezine.org/ujcbathrooms.html

& see and support the SRLP for trans rights