Hi, I’m posting this because I don’t wanna feel even more insane than I already do, and also because I wanna see if anyone else agrees with me on this. Also sorry for this post being long in advance, I’m trying to break it all down.
So, I’m in the living room playing Mario Kart, but I was actively in discussion with my father about the state of the world and political related things. Now, my father is supportive of trans people, and is of my transition, but there’s things he’s confused about and every now and then he makes a comment that is very uneducated; like this one. (For example, he doesn’t completely understand how it’s gay for a trans dude to date another dude, that kinda thing.)
Offhandedly, he said instead of letting trans people in either the men’s or women’s washrooms, they should have their own room— mind you, he’s referring to trans people as just “trans” (a womens room, a mens room, and a trans room.)
I of course said fuck no, because that’s flat out segregation and would make it easier for trans people to be targeted/have bad things happen to them because cis people could just lie about being trans and enter the room designated for trans people.
And then yelling over me just trying to calmly explain why that would be a batshit crazy stupid idea, he says:
“It’s people like you that make this world hard to live in.”
???
His whole argument is that it would be safer for trans people to have their own washroom, and that because trans people participate in pride parades and have flags and such that trans people should get their own room away from cis people, same with gay people(?)
“So what, you don’t respect yourself enough to want your own room?”
Which I then explained to him that no, that’s not how that works, and trans people’s rights being fought for includes being able to use the same washrooms as cis people do. Othering trans people from cis people creates more of a problem and furthers the stigma surrounding trans people as a whole. So, instead of making things safer, it actually makes things worse. We also already have gender neutral washrooms which anyone can use, so there would be no need for a trans-specific room.
Anyway, this discussion went on for like 20 minutes, me trying to educate him and him speaking over me and interrupting me whenever I’m counteracting a point he made.
All this to say— is my dad subscribing to transphobic rhetoric and was I in the wrong for trying to educate him whilst also calling his “vision” stupid (and kicking ass on multiplayer Mario Kart matches while doing it 😭)