Public Bathrooms: Hygiene Trumps Gender

Jun 7, 2016 | Stacy Matson | Celebrity Health
Public Bathrooms: Hygiene Trumps Gender

image by: Grosser Schlumpf

You know, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender - people are people - Judith Light

Most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and 44 U.S. states have unisex bathrooms in almost every public area. It’s true, and what this means is that anyone can walk into these restrooms and take care of business. This also means that dads can accompany their young daughters, moms can accompany their young sons, and women don’t have to wait in horrendous lines, doing the potty dance, while the men’s room is empty. Good idea? I think so.  

Oh yeah, it also means that men who identify as women and women who identify as men can use these restrooms. Freely.

I have a hard time believing that allowing humans to use the restroom of their choice will lead to an increase in sexual assaults. I just don’t see massive amounts of men running to the nearest Walmart to buy a dress and a pair of high heels so they can hide in the bathroom to try out that rape thing they’ve heard so much about. But, rather than waiting for the imaginary predator, or wasting your state’s tax dollars to post guards at every public restroom to check identification, why don’t we go after the people who are really causing problems in public restrooms.  

I’m talking about the people who don’t flush the toilet, or who pee all over the seat, or who throw their trash on the floor, or who brush their teeth and spit on the faucet, or who have digestive issues and shouldn’t be in public anyway, or who gas us out with voluminous amounts of perfume and hairspray... These are the people who must be stopped. These are the people I don’t feel safe around, not the dude in a dress.

Joking aside, I know that restrooms are sacred places. It’s where we conduct some of our most private activities. It’s where we go to calm down, to fix our makeup, to gossip, to hide, and last but not least, to pee. But, I don’t mind sharing that space with transgender humans. We are all in there for the same reasons. Besides, if I’m ever in need of a few makeup tips, or I want an honest opinion about my outfit, or I need to borrow some lipstick, that will be the first person I ask. These ladies are fierce!!!


Stacy Matson is a health enthusiast from Southern California and regularly blogs on Celebrity Health for A Healthier World, as well as contributing to the Best of Best.

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