A strange man asked me an intrusive question…while I was sitting on the toilet in a women’s bathroom.
He wanted to know if I was female or male.
I basically had an anxiety attack.
Do you know how alarming it can be to have a man yelling at you through the door of a bathroom stall?
I wrote about what happened for HuffPost.
We talk a lot about transgender rights here, but sometimes it takes a personal experience to help people empathize with our marginalized communities.
My story is one example of the public harassment faced by women with short hair, trans folks, and anyone gender-nonconforming.
This is why bathroom bills are a threat to women and girls, trans or not. These laws embolden members of the public to harass anyone who doesn’t fit a narrow definition of what women or men “should” look like within the gender binary.
If you’re here from HuffPost, welcome! Thanks for reading my story. I appreciate you!
Check out some of our most popular posts:
Rey Katz (they/them)
Rey Katz (they/them)
Rey Katz (they/them)
Next week, I’m publishing a behind-the-scenes look at what went into writing and editing this essay for HuffPost. Please subscribe so you don’t miss it!
Let’s keep the comments respectful, please. I will be moderating and blocking. There is a “report” feature to kick comments into a queue for me to sort through. Please report to the admin (me) if you see something unwanted.
Take care,
Rey
Amplify Respect is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
