- Homophobia is no more attractive than racism.
- The fear of gay people in men’s bathrooms came from a false, unsubstantiated fear – there was no evidence that gay men presented a threat to straight men or lesbians to straight women.
- Males, on the other hand, have rates of violence towards women an order of magnitude greater than women do. There is no evidence this is changed by transition. There is no parallel with gay people.
This is another false equivalence argument. It is also homophobic: gay men were not oppressors of straight men and posed no particular risk to them. Women are an oppressed class, and, sadly, men do pose a risk to women. Yes, not all men, but enough.
Even leaving aside the risk that (statistically) men represent to women, there are other considerations. Women are entitled to a higher standard than “not being raped”; they are entitled to privacy and dignity away from men – and some women, especially from minority groups, require this as a condition of going out in society. Public providers of facilities should be considering the equalities impact of allowing men to access women-only spaces. Other women, especially those who have been the subject of sexual assault in the past, may find any male presence in places where they are vulnerable triggering. Again, this makes the situation unlike that in the gay rights argument.
See also “Rights aren’t pie”.
Forward to I have a friend who is trans, she is lovely – are you saying she has to use the men’s?
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