For trans and gender non-conforming folx, bathrooms have been challenging locations since they became sex-segregated in the late 1800s.
From a non-binary/genderqueer point of view, it can be difficult to go into a bathroom since doing so makes us put ourselves into a box into which we might not belong.
For trans folx who are just starting to transition or who don't "pass" as cisgender, they are forced to choose between the bathroom associated with their birth sex or the one that they actually want to use.
For all of us, this puts us at risk for negative reactions ranging from surprised looks and comments to having security called to physical assault and rape.
And that was all before conservatives leapt into this issue and made things even worse. Now, bathroom access is a political football used by Christian evangelicals, fundamentalists, and nationalists and their allies to drum up anger in -- and (financial) support from -- their followers. Legislation throughout the US now legally limits TGNC people's bathroom access in schools, government buildings, and private businesses.
All this despite the fact that, in areas where are bathroom choices aren't limited, there has never been a trans person who has assaulted a cisgender woman in a public bathroom (and let's be clear: conservatives aren't generally concerned about cis men getting attacked). Nor do cis men use this right as an excuse to access a women's bathroom to sexually assault or rape cis women.
Many TGNC tweens and teens experience bathroom and locker room discrimination, ranging from angry looks to social media harassment to rape. Many of these young people drink little to no liquid during the school day so that they can hopefully hold their urine until they get home. This puts them at risk for dehydration and urinary tract infections, not to mention the discomfort of not going to the bathroom for multiple hours.
