Stand Against Discrimination: All-Gender Bathroom Signs
By Ivy Gibson-Hill
In March of this year, the North Carolina General Assembly passed into law House Bill 2 (HB2), the Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act. In addition to other regulations, this bill requires transgender individuals to use the bathroom matching the gender listed on their birth certificate. Since the passage of the discriminatory HB2, North Carolina has drawn national attention and even experienced travel bans by governors from other states and boycotts by pop culture icons, such as musician Bruce Springsteen and author Sherman Alexie, who both canceled public appearances. Many Fortune 500 companies have also withdrawn plans to expand their businesses here.
How does this bill affect individuals on a personal level? Let’s say I’m having dinner with friends at my favorite restaurant in Asheville. We’re laughing, sharing stories, and enjoying craft beer. Eventually the drinks catch up to me, and I have to use the restroom. I walk through the crowded restaurant to find that their bathrooms are bearing signs that say “Women” and “Men.” As a fairly androgynous genderqueer person, I find myself in a familiar place. My heart starts to beat a little faster as fear rises into my throat and my face begins to flush. I have a decision to make and it’s one that could be dangerous.
In these situations, I’m frequently told that I’m in the wrong restroom, no matter which one I use. My whiteness and masculine presentation mean that I am statistically less likely to experience violence. The harassment, assault, and physical violence that many others may face in these situations can certainly be life threatening.
In response to HB2, the Campaign for Southern Equality and TranzMission launched a new project offering All-Gender Restroom Signs to local Asheville businesses, organizations, and faith communities. This law is putting our transgender citizens in danger, and we urge businesses to change their bathroom signs to show their support and help make Asheville a safe place for all of its residents, even in the face of this discriminatory and hateful law.
Any local business can obtain All-Gender Restroom Signs, which are available on a sliding scale donation to help offset the cost of production. E-mail ivy@southernequality.org with your name, business name, phone number, and business address. So far, more than 75 businesses in Asheville, including Warren Wilson College, Relax & Rejuvenate, and Dobrá Tea, have put up our All-Gender restroom signs with many more posting signs with the same intention.
Ivy Gibson-Hill commutes to Asheville from the Greenville, South Carolina, area to work as LGBT Rights Toolkit coordinator for the Campaign for Southern Equality. Ivy also serves as program director of Gender Benders, based in upstate South Carolina.
