I have grown up around physical violence from males. I have also experienced rape, sexual assault, and physical assault from males known and unknown to me. My experience of being in bathrooms and having male-bodied people entering these spaces is that I immediately feel uncomfortable. I become hypervigilant, tense, my breathing is more shallow, and I use the facilities and get out as quickly as possible. It is no longer a safe space for me.

I of course do not wish for transgender people to be uncomfortable, but I think there needs to be an equal consideration given to the experiences of women like myself, who need spaces where they too can feel safe. Currently it seems as though people born as women are not having their need to feel safe considered at all.

#australia #bathrooms #publicspaces #trauma #maleviolence #singlesexspaces