For many, the public bathroom is straightforwardly private and functional – and probably not worth a second thought. But for a majority of transgender people, it is a site of confrontation so extreme that it is best avoided.
New research now adds to current heated debate in the US around gendered bathrooms: Men are significantly more likely to be concerned than women about transgender people using the bathroom of their choice.
![Men are significantly more likely to be concerned than women about transgender people using the bathroom of their choice.](/web/20161230204122im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/t/1/s/2/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtj7vy.png/1482989006184.jpg)
The study by Rebecca Stones analysed 1,035 comments posted by readers on 190 online news articles relating to assigned-male-at-birth (AMAB) transgender individuals using female bathrooms.
While cisgender (those who identify with the same gender they were assigned at birth) males are more concerned than cisgender females about the issue overall, Stone's data, published in December's issue of Gender Issues, showed that men were particularly vocal about who should be allowed use women's bathrooms.
Men were 1.5 times more likely than women to have concerns about transgender women using women's bathrooms.
Given men do not usually need to concern themselves about female loos, Stones says men's heightened worries around female bathrooms are "particularly curious".
Cisgender males were around 1.55 times more likely than females to pin their concerns on safety and privacy, the study found. Inversely, women were four times more likely than men to "assert that transgender women do not directly cause their safety and privacy concerns".
"It's possible," writes Stones, "that males believe they are voicing female concerns. However, many females do not share these concerns."
In fact, when they did express negativity around the topic, cisgender women raised worries that were not directly related to transgender people. One such concern was that "perverted" men may disguise themselves as transgender women to gain false access to women's bathrooms.
It is thought that men's heightened worries over transgender use of bathrooms is related to male views of themselves as "protectors" of females, though transphobia - particularly a belief that transgendered people are mentally ill or "sick" - appears to also play a part.
Stones points out that limitations on her study include the fact that online commentary usually comes from those who have an interest in the subject and thus hold more polarised views than individuals who do not comment online.
Previous studies cited by Stones show a strong history of transphobia among cis males compared to cis females. Along with her study, they support a recent finding that found most women do not support US laws which ban trans people from women's bathrooms.
A number of states have actively pursued legislation to force transgender women to use the bathroom that corresponds with their assigned gender – including North Carolina which last week failed to repeal the highly contentious House Bill 2 law.