So how are we supposed to "gender check" individuals to make sure they use the right facilities?

[Humanist_Activist]

C'mon people, go ahead and brainstorm, this should be interesting. Here, I'll get started.

First off, bouncers at the door of very public rest room, locker room, etc., from those in the middle of public parks to those nasty ass single stalls(that are still gender segregated for some reason) at gas stations.

They will have to at least interview every potential person entering the bathroom or locker, to make sure they are who they say they are. Oh, and if you look androgenous, or are intersex, fuck you, no bathroom breaks for you, just hold it till you get home, or shit yourself, whatever.

IDs will need to be checked, nevermind that its not universal to allow you to change gender on your legal ID, and if not that, medical forms or claim history from your pharmacy for evidence of hormone therapy/surgery/psychological therapy. HIPPA be damned, if you are transgender, you have no right to medical privacy.

So what are your ideas?

[snooper2]

1. The airports already have the machines, I'm sure huge discount if bought in bulk

[Humanist_Activist]

2. Body scanner, a perfect and economical solution! lol n/t

[leveymg]

27. You mean the boxes that dispense those blue rubber gloves?

Q: Are they supposed to change the gloves after each gender inspection?

[jeff47]

3. We'll just make them wear some sort of emblem on their clothing.

.....you know, that sounds very familiar...

[randys1]

6. Permanent water mark on the forehead "666"

[Humanist_Activist]

7. Maybe a big yellow T or something, yeah that's the ticket!. n/t

[randys1]

4. We need papers. Only the "correct" type of heterosexual or melanin individuals can go in.

WE could hire thousands of out of work Americans to work in the new department called

"Gender and Race Identification Division"

Because the real truth is we dont want no abnormal folks doing anything around us, and this includes anyone who doesnt look just like me, you make me uncomfortable, especially if you aint white, that is a real bummer that one ...



refuse to put sarcasm emoticon here

[Travis_0004]

5. Im sure most transgender people use the bathroom and nobody notices

I think the issue arrises in sutuations where a high school student comes out as transgender, and everybody knows, and does not look like the sex they identify with.

[randys1]

8. That's what you think it is? really?

[Humanist_Activist]

12. Again, those who look androgenous but are cisgender have these problems too.

Should they just go to the bathrooms of the gender they stereotypically resemble?

[Tree-Hugger]

15. So...

What about cis women who don't conform to cultural gender standards for appearance?

What about lesbisns? Should they be outlawed from femsl locker rooms since they find women attractive?

[TexasMommaWithAHat]

25. Your answer.

[Tree-Hugger]

9. Government registration

Maybe a Scarlet "T" that they affix to their clothing. An armband, perhaps?

Gotta think of ideas for cis women who don't conform, for whatever reason, to cultural ideas of femininity.

[MineralMan]

10. We are not "supposed to" do any such thing.

That's my answer.

[Humanist_Activist]

16. Well, according to some posters here, something needs to be done, apparently...

40 or so people in a poll recently voted so, so that's at least half of DU, lol.

[MineralMan]

21. Yes, I know. It's another of the issues that are really not

a real-world problem, but that can be used to put up barriers between people.

Transgender people have been using public restrooms as they choose for a very long time. The odds that anyone even notices are very slim, indeed. The odds that anyone will be confronted with such a situation are also very, very long.

It's a non-issue sort of thing. I can't imagine being particularly concerned with it in the first place. For myself, I pay no attention at all to the gender of people who visit public restrooms. If I use one, I use one for the purpose for which it was intended. I do whatever I need to do, wash up and leave. Who else is in that restroom is of no consequence to me. I don't treat such facilities as any sort of social gathering place in the first place. They are excretory facilities. I am a mammal. I have a need for such facilities from time to time. Beyond that, they're not of interest to me.

[Humanist_Activist]

22. Same here, the problem is when you have people that, superfically, are non-gender conforming...

whether cisgender or transgender, and then you have others complain about them.

Their are quite a few places where, if a complaint is made, its possible for legal or societal sanctions to be made against the so called offender(non-gender conforming individual).

[MineralMan]

23. I believe that all such sanctions are wrong.

As far as I am concerned a person is as he or she self-identifies. For me, that settles it. I believe it should settle it on a societal and legal level, too.

I'm weird that way, I guess.

[Human101948]

11. You guys are being ridiculous!

A simple pat-down is sufficient!


And if there is any confusion at that point, a quick hand down the pants usually works.

[airplaneman]

43. I was going to say

Just pull down their pants and check for yourself.
I like your answer better.
-Airplane

[Human101948]

46. There is a lot to be said for self-policing...

Though it does entail the risk of self-abuse.

[uppityperson]

13. Check papers and the insignia on their clothing. Make them strip, do a full body check. Ask several

leading questions that "every" man can answer correctly (which is larger, a 6 mm wrench or 1/4 inch? Which linebacker is the best of all time?) or women (what size shoes did princess di wear? what shade of lipstick is best for this season?).

just in case. I am glad to see this thread, was trying to word one correctly and decided not to because of course we should do nothing except continue to call out transphobia and educate.

[backscatter712]

14. The state can hire a bunch of Official Genitalia Inspectors...

Yep, that's just the kind of proposal that makes America great!

[Tree-Hugger]

18. Job creation!!!

God Bless America!

[Brickbat]

17. Pretty sure a few on DU would volunteer to check. In the same of safety, y'know.

[backscatter712]

19. Yep. Three guesses which few, and the first two don't count... n/t

[TreasonousBastard]

20. Just drop your pants or raise your skirt on entry...

modern cameras can tell, so you don't even need an attendant.

Alternatively, carry a secure card attesting to the presence or absence of a Y chromosome.

[Jester Messiah]

24. Better question:

How do we ensure that, in any public restroom situation, people can 1. Feel safe and
2. Keep their dignity without relying on people to just behave themselves, because that's not going to suffice.

Most people are decent, but it only takes a few incidents to ruin everything for everyone.

[Humanist_Activist]

26. The only thing equitable and fair would be panic buttons installed in all bathrooms, but that...

might be prohibitively expensive, and besides that, you are out in public, everything is a risk, and reasonable precautions and regulations are put in place to keep you relatively safe. Gender-checking to enter bathrooms wouldn't be reasonable nor equitable. Relying on superficial appearance would be impractical and inaccurate, etc. Not to mention the risk factors are negligible, so you would spend a shitload of money for very few if any gains.

[Jester Messiah]

31. Risk factors

Let me lay a few out, just for the sake of discussion.

Assume the gender-irrelevant restroom supports 4 simultaneous users. There are 3 stalls and 1 urinal.

Assume a woman is in the gender-irrelevant restroom and a man walks in. She doesn't know him from Adam and for all she knows he could be a serial rapist.

Now flip the script, a man walks into the gender-irrelevant restroom and there's a woman in there. She obviously objects to his presence, and he knows he's one wrong move away from having sexual harassment or rape charges laid at his door. Maybe not even that far.

Neither of these people feel safe and all they've done is occupy the same room. How do we fix this?

[Humanist_Activist]

35. By educating the woman on actual risk factors? Irrational fears should not be a basis for setting...

up policy. Would you ban men from being able to use elevators with only one woman in it if the woman is uncomfortable?

[Jester Messiah]

37. One might spin that as man-splaining to her why her fears are dumb.

Now I'm not saying that's the case; sound reasoning and logic trump everything in my view, but it's not up to me. If you want to change the status quo, you have to sell it, and make sure that people's concerns are addressed.

[LanternWaste]

36. How often has this specific and hypothetical incident happened?

How often has this specific and hypothetical incident happened? More or fewer times than rapes happening in bathrooms regardless of gender signs on the door? (Hint:0=Fewer times).



"Experts in 12 states -- including law enforcement officials, government employees, and advocates for victims of sexual assault -- have debunked the right-wing myth that sexual predators will exploit transgender non-discrimination laws to sneak into women's restrooms, calling the myth baseless and "beyond specious."

http://mediamatters.org/research/2014/03/20/15-experts-debunk-right-wing-transgender-bathro/198533

[Jester Messiah]

38. Hey, whoa, back up buddy.

I'm not being "right wing" about this, I'm trying to discuss the issues from the standpoint of defusing or solving these arguments and getting everyone to a point where they can move forward. You're not going to get anywhere by name-calling and being snarky.

[LanternWaste]

45. No names were called, no snarkiness implied

No names were called, no snarkiness implied (I am helpless though, as to whether one infers it as such or not). I merely asked a neutral question, with additional resources for context.

[HassleCat]

28. Your papers! Let me see your papers (eom)

[WinkyDink]

29. As with a multitude of events for which authorities are notified, one supposes a complaint would

need be made.

[nichomachus]

30. Here's some advice

[notadmblnd]

32. I won't be partaking in the activity

so people are going to have to figure it out on their own.

[Starry Messenger]

33. Some posters here, I imagine them like this

[Rex]

34. I don't know, but feeding a concern trolls ego is all these threads are doing.

So I guess they won whatever sad victory they wanted to share with nobody and their computer.

[Lil Missy]

39. Flash your privates upon entrance. n/t

[Zorra]

40. Simply charge a fee at the door of public restrooms, and have some mean authoritarian

asshole, (proven by a scientific panel study to be genitally appropriate), use rubber gloves to determine and ensure that all those entering the restroom are also genitally appropriate.


(warning: sad, disturbing video)

[One_Life_To_Give]

41. Permanent Tattoo

Well do a thorough workup to make certain only genuine XX, female at birth individuals with two functioning ovaries, a uterus and vagina are allowed into the Ladies Loo. Everybody else will be thrown into the Other Restroom.

[qwlauren35]

42. I'll take a shot...

At the beginning of each school year, have the teacher ask if anyone is uncomfortable using public lockers. Then arrange to have some private curtained areas in each locker for those who need to keep their private parts private.

[libodem]

44. Ok.

I'll do it. I need a job that doesn't require heavy lifting.
(although in this case, maybe, a little ) I could be the pecker checker. I'm a nuse. Have seen it all. I just traveled by air and went thru the porno scan and stll got a pat down, cuz, you know, necklace,. Whoopee, thrill, most action I've seen in some time. So my privacy was just gratuitously violated to get on a plane. Wiener watcher,

I'm being silly of course. I don't care about sharing the bathroon with a transperson, especially if she is dressed as a female.

My stance is wide, oop, I mean my stance on the subject, how could somebody dressed up in hair, makeup, dress, and heels, go untuck, and use the urinal, in the men's room.

I'm waiting. Can't wait for an explanation on how that's gunna work.

[Glassunion]

47. Life experience has taught me to simply not worry about it.

First, I've honestly never given it a thought until quite recently.

Second, when my preconceived thoughts over what I thought "should" happen didn't, I honestly did not give it much thought.

So my advice would be to simply don't give it much thought and it'll work out on its own.