Binary restroom advice

Discussion in 'Transexual and Transgender' started by SandBook, Sep 1, 2025 at 9:37 AM.

  1. SandBook

    SandBook Members

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    When you're out somewhere, like a restaurant or bar, and there are only two bathrooms, each marked "Men" or "Women" and they are not single use. If nothing about your outward appearance reads as your experienced gender, which restroom do you use?

    I've been coming across gendered multi-use bathrooms less and less but some old dive bars and diners still have them with no single use option. I want to use the women's room but I also look around and think "Peeing in the room I want to and maybe being able to check my body tape in the mirror is not worth having that convo or explaining myself to rando people at this restaurant/bar." So, I just use the men's room.

    Does anyone use the room that doesn't align with their "outward appearance" and how do you handle anyone who might offer so much as a genuinely meant to be helpful, "Oh, sir! That's the ladies' room. The men's room is on the left?" Let alone a bathroom full of cisgender people seeing you waltz in like it ain't no thang?

    Especially if it's the kind of establishment where the vibe is very much "this is not where I want to be having that conversation."
     
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  2. soulpoker

    soulpoker Senior Member

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    Don't patronize that kind of establishment where the vibe is very much "this is not where I want to be having that conversation."
     
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  3. KathyL

    KathyL Super Moderator Super Moderator

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    Things are a bit different where you live vs. where I live. However, even here in Canada, it would be asking for trouble to use a bathroom that does not match your presentation. A trans person wearing clothes of their gender assigned at birth using the bathroom of their experienced gender would be unsafe. Worse, it makes things unsafe for others, because it feeds the rebugnican narrative of "men in women's bathrooms". If you choose to take the risk yourself, that's on you. But making things unsafe for others is wrong.

    I present as fully feminine, and I always use the women's bathroom. Back before my transition was complete, when I was presenting as male some days and female other days, I would use the bathroom that matched my presentation.
     

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