IGF CultureWatch

I recently commented on an Eliza Mondegreen Substack post in which she discussed how her views on transmen in women’s spaces has changed, including her current opposition to transmen using women’s restrooms.

The thread is linked to below, but here are some highlights of what I contributed.

“If, say, a man has surgically transitioned into a transwoman and passes adequately as a woman (although I agree, he’s not actually a woman), he really can’t walk into a men’s restroom. That just isn’t going to work. So, what is this person to do? If he’s adequately passing in dress and appearance, he is going to walk into the women’s restroom and use a stall there. Passing laws and putting up signs forbidding this just won’t work, and it’s going to make the gender-critical side look intolerant, and even cruel.
Yes, I’m a guy so maybe I don’t get it. But I do agree about locker rooms and showers, as well as women’s crisis centers and women’s and lesbian-only social spaces. But restrooms seem a different matter, and some flexibility in practice on this is going to be needed, it seems.”

Elsewhere in the tread, I commented:

Legally requiring a male who for all intents and purposes appears to be female to use the men’s restroom, where he is seen as a woman by other men, seems like it would do more to undermine society’s sex binary (and to open the door to restrooms being treated as “gender-neutral”) than allowing the transwoman who (again, for all intents and purposes) passes as a woman, to use the women’s restroom.

And this:

Men won’t accept a person who for all intents and purposes they judge to be a woman (even if yes, an illusion) walking into a men’s room…. It just won’t happen. Believe me. But if that person walks into a woman’s restroom, and if that person appears to be a woman and uses a stall, that is not going to cause a commotion. So, it’s not the same thing.
This is not to say that a person who is obviously male but “identifies” as female should use the women’s room. But there are plenty of transwomen who are passing. …
Similarly, if a transman who passes as a man walks into a men’s room and uses a stall (obviously not a urinal), I don’t see a problem. Laws making this criminal just aren’t going to work in either situation.

And this:

….if the men believe that a woman has entered the men’s room (and yes, many mtf transsexuals can pass), there will absolutely be derisive comments and maybe any close-by authorities (building management, police) would be sought to oust that person to what seems to be their appropriate restroom.

I also noted, however:

As a practical matter, a transwoman who is actually passing as female, and many who have “fully transitioned” (yes, still not an actual woman) do “pass,” this person is not going to go into a men’s room but will use they women’s restroom. That’s just what’s going to happen.
I think [Eliza Mondegren’s] comment … strikes the right note — have policies against men in women’s restrooms (and vice versa) so that the transman can be evicted if perceived as male. That provides a safeguard against the pervs with beards who say they identify as a woman but we all know what they’re up to.

https://elizamondegreen.substack.com/p/where-ive-changed-my-mind-over-the-ed0/comments