The Guide To Being Transgender

Do We Have Rights?

Of course we do, but those rights are in danger. We can't become compliant about things. Most states allow you to use the proper bathroom, and you obviously have the right to get your name changed. However, the abolition of the title IX bill has put us in great jeopardy, especially those of us in school. States now have the right to decide for themselves if people should be allowed to use whatever bathroom they choose.

This is beyond dangerous. Multiple states have already put laws into action so that people have to use the ones that correlate with their gender marker on their birth certificates.

We cannot just stand by and allow our rights to be taken away. We've made so much progress in the world. We are no longer medically described as mentally ill. We are no longer committing a crime punishable by death (in most countries), just by being ourselves.

Allow me to lay out just how dangerous these bathroom laws can be for us. As a pre-T gentleman, I'm relatively safe using the women's bathroom. It doesn't affect me too much, and it is sometimes safer to just suck it up and use the little lady's room.

However, if I were, say, three years on T: my voice had dropped, I had a nice-sized beard, and generally looked just like a cis guy, I would be in danger if I used the "correct" bathroom. You think women will just stand by and watch as some semi-short guy with a beard and probably thinning hair walks into their bathroom? HELL NO! It's more likely that they'd scream and ambush me, and then I'd be forced by security to prove that I'm transgender. I'd probably be detained, and I can guarantee you there'd be some serious humiliation involved.

It would probably be even worse for a trans woman using the mens' room.

In America, we have the right to identify how we please, but our right to express that identity is in danger.

Also, just a side note, but if you are ever confronted by a police officer and they ask your name, give them your legal name, even if it is your dead name. The best way to approach that problem would be to say something like this:

"Of course, officer. My legal name is _____, but I'm transgender so I would much appreciate it if you'd refer to me as ______ instead. Thank you so much."

Other than those two things, we transgender Americans have the same rights as everyone else, and it's important to know that. I can't speak for other countries, though, so I would highly recommend researching your rights if you live in another country.