Time 4 Trans Justice

No one really thinks about, when they think about Transgender or Transsexual people, what bathroom they go into when in public places. Unless they are faced with it themselves. But this is a real problem for people who have the genitals of one sex and identify as the other. They are not comfortable with going to the bathroom that fits their genitals, and yet, they may not be able to pass as the gender they identify as and are unable to use the bathroom they desire. And so many, in order to avoid this problem, will not use the restroom all day until they can get home. This is extremely unhealthy, and will result in kidney failure if left unchecked.  An excellent resource for learning more about this come from the Sylvia Rivera Law Project. While there, you can download portions, or all, of the “Toilet Training” ebook, designed to educate people on why gender neutral bathrooms are so important today.

So, what do I do? Unfortunately, I do not pass as male yet, so going into a men’s restroom is not really an option for me. The one time I did, looking mostly like a guy, but then not at all, I had very weird looks as I was coming out from the other guys and it scared me. I don’t want to get beat up or something like that…so, I figure it this way–since I look female, I will go to the restroom that says what I look like–for now. That doesn’t mean I like it, but I will not endanger myself just because of comfort. I choose safety and health over comfort…but that is only me. So many people are unable to get to this point, and are forced to choose not going at all.

Let me leave you with this question: How hard would it be to create gender neutral bathrooms?

I had to do it–I had to regurgitate this topic, didn’t I? But maybe it needs to be talked about over and over until everyone on this planet gets it–Gender Identity is NOT the same as Sexual Orientation! Let me repeat myself.  Gender Identity is NOT the same as Sexual Orientation!! Here’s why:

Sexual orientation is who you are attracted to, and Gender identity is who you identify as when it comes to gender. Pretty simple, huh? Apparently not, if so many people still confuse the two. Let me break it down further.
Gender Identity has nothing to do with a person’s genitals, but everything to do with how a person sees themselves–deep down in the core. Base identity. An example, when you were 4 years old, and you were born as a male, did you see yourself as a boy or a girl? And if you saw yourself as a boy, then there was no problem. But if you saw yourself as a girl, and wondered why people were treating you as a boy–big problem! This is gender identity–not sexual orientation.

Sexual orientation comes along a little later in people’s lives. It could show up around 7 or it could be a lot later, depending on how conservative of liberal the environment is. Humans are sexual creatures no matter what we believe, or how we want to approach it. And sexual preferences will come out–eventually. Who turns you on, when, and where are inevitable and will come out sooner or later. This is not the same as Gender Identity. This is about romantic feelings, some part of body chemistry, and who you choose as a life partner, whether it ends up being a same-sex union, or a hetero union. This is sexual orientation.

So–simple, right? Then why is it that when people find out I am transgender, they get all nervous and fidgety? I know–people don’t understand this, most people have no clue what it involves, what it is, etc. But then, there are the conservative Christians who shy away from me, because they lump it all into the “homosexual” category. It’s all sin according to the churches. Many churches are even silent about Transgender issues. Are they silent because they have no idea what it is, or are they silent because they simply assume it’s the same thing as homosexuality?

As a recap–gender identity is not the same as sexual orientation. If you can wrap your mind around this, it will do a lot for the issues that have stopped ENDA from including trans inclusive language, and for all the other issues I will be talking about here. Some gay men have actually been born in female bodies, who have transitioned to presenting as the gender they identified as. Some lesbian women have been born in male bodies, who have transitioned to presenting as the gender they identified as. Most transgender people start out appearing homosexual, but are completely straight–just in the wrong body presentation. Sexuality has nothing to do with gender identity–get that, and every other issue about Transgendered people will be pointless.