Rape in Restrooms? Not A Trans Issue

Men Must Account for Rape — Not the Scapegoat Du Jour

Men Must Account for Rape — Not the Scapegoat Du Jour

So, I’ve gotten this comment both in-person and via social media regarding trans women in public restrooms:

A cis man could shave his face, put on women’s clothing and go into the women’s restroom pretending to be a trans woman when in fact he is a cis male sex offender getting access to the cis women’s restroom so that he can sexually assault cis women. Are you able to address my concern?

The question at the end demands that trans folk owe an answer. We don’t. Asking us is tantamount to saying, “Explain yourself, your existence, your integrity, your sacred human dignity.”

Cis sex offenders too often rape women and hardly need drag or a restroom to do it.

Ultimately, this is not a question but rather an argument that cis men will, in drag, molest women in public bathrooms. We already have laws against such crimes. That a cis man has always been able to go in drag and molest women in restrooms has not a whit to do with whether I or any other trans person exists.

Cis sex offenders too often rape women and hardly need drag or a restroom to do it. They rape behind dumpsters on Stanford’s campus. They rape out in the open as the spoils of war. They rape in wedlock and in their positions of power and office. They do it as par for the course. Why do trans persons suddenly have to account for such crimes because we go to the bathroom like anyone else?

Why do trans persons suddenly have to account for such crimes because we go to the bathroom like anyone else?

If our culture were truly concerned about the safety and integrity of women, it would hold accountable the patriarchal hegemony that empowers men to rape women, girls, and boys. This is not something I have to answer because I am who I am.

Originally published at bethanybeeler.com

To learn more about my journey, check out my memoir, How to NOT Know You’re Trans or my upcoming TransQuality: How Trans Experience Affirms the World!

As always, your respectful comments are appreciated. 🤗