So, I've been having a discussion on facebook about a controversial topic. There's a page I follow called JOE. It used to post sports stuff but this past year or so it's become politicised. We're talking left-leaning here on virtually every event. When ISIS bride Shamima Begum wanted to come back to the UK, you can guess which side of the argument JOE was on.
Anyhoo, what this OP is about concerns JOE posting a video of Mhairi Black reading out anti-trans tweets, criticising transphobia and dismissing concerns that some women have of biological males using the ladies' toilets.
I posted a comment saying that people having different opinions from Mhairi doesn't necessarily mean they're transphobic. I also said I was surprised that Mhairi was so dismissive of some women's concerns about toilet-sharing with biological men.
I've had a bit of a back and forth with some guy as a result. He has claimed he has data which show that since the introduction of unisex toilets to some areas of the UK, there has been no problems. I asked him to link the data but he refused, and I can't remember why off the top of my head.
He's also called me a bigot until I post something that convinces him otherwise (I slapped him down here, saying it was intellectually dishonest of him to call me a bigot and then have my try and prove a negative).
He's also brought up other minorities, claiming I use the same kind of language black people faced in their fight for civil rights (again, I had to ask him to stop bringing other minorities into the discussion).
He's also said he thinks I have rapist tendencies and that's why I've been talking about these issues. - WTF?!
All because I feel that women having concerns about trans-women (biological males) using their toilets deserve to have their voice heard and their opinions aired.
You see, regardless of what his data may or may not show, rapists are opportunists. If some women fear that bad people will take advantage of these circumstances, well, that's not an irrational fear, even if the chances of something bad happening are extremely low, because rapists are opportunistic and dangerous.
I said that I think solutions to problems can come from any person, from any group in society. He said that solutions should come from the people involved, the stakeholders, he called them. I ran with his logic and identified the stakeholders (1: women who don't want to toilet-share with trans-women, and 2: trans-women who do want to toilet-share). I then said that these two groups need to sit down and talk. He disagreed, saying that everyone effected by this should talk, in other words, women who are ok with toilet-sharing should be part of the discussion. I said that this last group wouldn't need to join in and discuss because there would be nothing to discuss - trans-women want to toilet-share, and women who are ok with that agree - that's not a discussion. So, I stuck to my original suggestion, which is: women who don't want to toilet-share and trans-women who do want this need to have discussions to find solutions to this issue.
I've had him say that I don't speak for women, which I've agreed with. I've had two women say that they're ok with biological males using the same toilets. I reminded them that they don't speak for women, either!
So, I have a few questions:
Can anyone post a link to data about unisex toilets in the UK and crime or any issues?
Are there unisex toilets in your area, and what do you think of this?
This is a bit sensitive, but female posters - how do you feel about sharing your public toilets with biological males?
It's ok whichever way you answer. You're not a transphobe if you're against, and you're not any kind of name if you're for the idea or if you have no worries about it.
Thank you.