The Transgender Day of Remembrance on 20 November has been established to memorialise transgender and gender nonconforming people who have died as a result of hate crimes. I can’t claim that gender-neutral toilets would have prevented any of these tragedies, but they might have made people’s lives just a tiny bit easier.
So what do you say, would you like to see more provision of gender-neutral toilets? For more of my thoughts on the peculiarities of gender, see this post from week five of the Sugar and Snails blog tour. You can learn more about the importance of safe sanitation in the Twitter stream #WorldToiletDay and The Transgender Day of Remembrance at #TDOR.
I was ready to post this, when I found the latest flash fiction challenge from Charli Mills in my inbox. I reckoned I could find a way of combining toilets, transgender stressors and dance:
I shuffle from one foot to the other like I’m dancing a jig. The pressure’s gone past painful, but still I hesitate. The dolly-peg man looks docile, but those arms could pack a punch. My flared skirt matches the other one, yet I know I won’t be welcomed behind that door. Almost wetting myself, I sneak into the cubicle. Hoisting up my skirt, pulling down my frilly knickers, I point my penis at the porcelain. Calm again, I reapply my lipstick before sashaying out. A woman glowers at me from her wheelchair. Welcome to my daily dance of shame.
I’m not sure whether this one will work out of context, but I’m pleased I had a go. Although it didn’t take me long, I did find it quite awkward to write – but I guess nowhere near as awkward as it would be to face this in the real world.