Bathroom

By Joanna Jones

Bathroom situations can be tough for some. For years, I never had a problem using the women's bathrooms when I just had to go. I have been everywhere and never had one person say anything to me. Even across from the White House in Washington DC.

EXCEPT 12 years ago. I am banned for life at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas for using the women's bathroom at 3 am with no one else around. The security guys really laid into me. I went into the lobby bathroom after being at the hotel dance club. The only other person in this 20+ stall bathroom was the attendant way down at the end. As soon as I was leaving out the door, security stops me and demands to see I.D. that shows I am a girl. Well, of course, I did not have that kind of drivers license. I had to lift up my dress to retrieve it. Then they started to tell me I could be arrested on the spot. They bring out a Polaroid camera to take my picture, which they could not get to work.

During this time, as I stand there shaking from fear, a nice couple came into the hotel and see's what security is doing to me. They started to have a heated statement with them about why they were wrong on singling me out. A few minutes later, security gets on their radios. They then tell me to lineup against the wall so the main security room can take a photo from their security cameras above the ceiling. After all this, they escort me off the property. What humiliation and trembling fear. It kind of ruined my night! Since this happened, I have never stepped foot inside a women's restroom again except at a gay dance club last month. This is plain not right. We should never have to be placed into a situation where we feel at risk going into a women's bathroom all dressed up.

Whenever I go out now fully dressed, I make sure there is a single use restroom available. All places in Las Vegas have them, but they are hard to find, plus way out of the way. Movie theaters have the family bathrooms. So do all malls. The airports that I go to I make sure beforehand where they are located. Walmarts have them in the back. I only go to concert venues that have the single stall available somewhere in the building. Holding back drinking liquids is hard on the body. For those girls that pass quite nicely, I am jelous of you. If not for the Las Vegas incident, I would never think twice about still using the female restrooms. The busiest female restroom that I have ever been in was a very large rest stop on the interstate. Seemed like 100 girls were inside. Did not bat an eye when I was with them. I really miss those days.

In 2011, a transgender was banned for life at the Cosmopolitan in Vegas. There was a huge backlash from the cd community. The Cosmopolitan had to reverse itself and invite this person back to the hotel. I can't wait until the day the bathroom issue is not an issue anymore. It's about time people understand us. We just have to do something that every human being has to do, and it should be up to the cd where she thinks is the most appropriate place.

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