Yes. I am giving you firsthand testimony as a transgender researcher, community activist, and journalist that I have encountered and know right now of people in my community who have been denied access to their preferred bathroom. I have been personally present on 2 of those occasions.
As a disclaimer, I personally have never been denied access.
Outside of that personal experience it’s something which happens daily for some folks.
While we’ve joked about that, the sad thing is it punishes an innocent school or university, who may not agree whatsoever with the proposed state law.
We are working as hard as possible to stop this bill. Several Republican lawmakers from the East part of the state have told us that they really do not want to pass this bill, and will do what they can to drag their feet and sweep it under the rug. It’s the Republicans from the rural 75% of the state who are pushing this, and they sadly may have the votes to do it. 
This actually means I would be technically prohibited from using the proper toilet at my own school and workplace. That’s so fucked up it’s beyond belief.
Are you actually in Kansas? Crazy coincidence.
Kansas City, and there are about 20 or so Dopers in the area (some no longer posting).
Not wanting to be left out, North Carolina has now legalized discrimination. Conservative bigots had warped this into a fight to “keep men out of women’s restrooms,” complete with little girls appearing on the news to read stilted phrases about not wanting to use the toilet next to a man.
:mad:
As usual, the Republicans are too stupid to fully understand that they now are mandating that transgender men, like this fellow here, will now be sitting in the stall next to their little fragile, fragile, flowers o’ the South.
Well, that’s okay with them; they don’t believe that transgender men are actually men. :rolleyes:
One these bills was actually in front of the Tennessee legislature this month, and it looked like it was going to pass for sure. After all, it was only two years ago they overturned Nashville’s non-discrimination ordinance and last week killed a bill to hold parents responsible when their toddler shoots someone with a loaded weapon left lying around.
Anyway, when the bill appeared ready to sail through committee, one of the Republican members changed his mind, causing the bill to die.
What was really astonishing was his reason. It wasn’t because it might cause TN schools to lose federal funding, which was the Governor’s reason to oppose it. It certainly wasn’t because he was afraid of losing support in the next election. Get this: he talked to medical experts and transgendered students, and “had decided to withdraw his support from the bill after hearing more about the issue.” Gasp!
That’s good news! I’ve reached out to Rep. Womack to interview him.
That’s great! If you post an interview with him, please come back and link to it. I want to make sure he gets positive feedback locally. Although, sadly, my own rep was one of the bill’s sponsors. :mad:
On the very off chance he responds, I can post a link to my station’s podcast.
Pretty please, and thank you.
DC Mayor Bans Official Travel to North Carolina
WASHINGTON (AP) — District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser has banned city employees from official travel to North Carolina, joining a growing list of governors and mayors who’ve forbidden trips to the state.
The move was made because of a law signed last week by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory that requires transgender people to use public restroom facilities that correspond with their gender at birth. The law also excludes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from statewide protections against discrimination. The law is being challenged in federal court.
Bowser, a Democrat, signed an order on Thursday barring city employees from official travel to North Carolina until the law is repealed. Her order says the District government values “equal treatment for members of the LGBTQ communities.”
Holy crap, Mississippi really is on the verge of becoming the Christian Taliban. Not only does their bill include the standard discrimination against the LGBT community in the name of “religious freedom,” it also allows discrimination against people in extramarital sexual relationships and employees who aren’t adhering to a dress code “appropriate” for their gender.
The good news is that this
means that the state MUST recognize any genetic coding different from the specific XX and XY chromosome combos, as it is, as they say, immutable.
Although my genetic coding is neither XX nor XY, I’m quite certain Mississippi would nonetheless stick me in one category due to my “anatomy at time of birth.”
And just to add apropos of the subject, the chilling effect these bills (and laws) has had upon my community is terrible. It’s actually difficult to describe in words, but it’s even impacting my feelings and mood. My own state still has one bill passed and one which is under consideration, and Missouri has bills about to be seriously considered as well.
When you add to this the very strong possibility of getting a genocidal misogynist madman like Trump in office, or an absolutely sinister Christian Taliban leader like Rubio or Cruz - any of the aforementioned backed by a Republican Congress which would make Mussolini proud - and there is a definite fear going through my community not seen since the 1980’s or prior. 
So why even have “ladies’ rooms” and “mens’ rooms” in the first place?
A lot of people outside of NC have had a reaction along the lines of “Man, fuck the South.”
I want to tell folks who think that, you can do better.
There are plenty of trans folk here in the South. A friend of mine–a gamer and an investigative reporter par excellence–came out trans yesterday, partly in response to the bill (she’d been making hints in this direction for awhile, but she made her announcement yesterday–and incidentally it’s a sign of my clumsiness on the subject that I typed the wrong pronoun at first.)
There are plenty of allies around here. A local business is busily passing out free “All-gender restroom” signs to businesses. The town of Carrboro broke out its rainbow flags for the streetlights in response, the best part of which was that they have a stock of rainbow flags.
If folks outside of NC want to help, here’s what I suggest:
But isn’t that what we, those who support allowing transgender people to use bathrooms that correspond to their gender, are doing?
Think about it.
If someone with male genitals who dresses and looks like the traditional version of female walks into a ladies room (a transgender woman), she is okay.
But if someone who has male genitals and looks like our traditional view of a man - but who says she identifies as a woman - by the logic of transgender accomodation, she is still a man. Most people would question the sincerity of her beliefs and say she is faking it just to go in the women’s room.
That means we have replaced genitals with traditional appearance and dress as the rigid code by which we judge gender.
If we cannot even say a man is a man or woman a woman based on genitals and genetics, who are we to say a man is a man or woman a woman based on appearance? Who is to say only women can wear a skirt? A man should have the right to wear one too…and that would apply even if he is a transgender man with female genitals.
So let’s not pretend this is easy. It’s incredibly complicated to just throw out the definition of gender that involves sex. It creates all kinds of new complications and traps. If we insist on justice, we may be called upon to follow that to its logical conclusion or be hypocrites. This is NOT an argument against transgenders or accomodating them, just pointing out that it’s not a slam dunk and then it’s done.
And then there’s the whole segregated restroom thing in the first place. If we are to say that it shouldn’t matter who you share a restroom with, well, why have those at all?