Photo from Brae Carne's Facebook
From Texas to Florida and even Canada, bills are popping up all over the place that aim to force people to use the public bathroom that aligns to the gender they were assigned at birth. Completely disregarding the dignity and safety of trans people, these laws are just one part of a rising trend of discrimination against the transgender community.
The Canadian Senate recently passed such a bill, proposed by Donald Plett, a move that inspired Brae Carnes from British Columbia to post a selfie in a men's bathroom with the caption #PlettPutMeHere. Designed to highlight the absurdity of forcing women to use the men's room, and vice versa, her campaign has gone viral, with others adopting #WeJustNeedToPee.
\u201cI never want to fear a bathroom again like I did when I started transition. #PlettPutMeHere #WeJustNeedToPee\u201d— Caroline TG (@Caroline TG) 1426271534
\u201c#occupotty #wejustneedtopee #translivesmatter #guyslikeus\n#thankyouforthesupport\u201d— Michael Hughes (@Michael Hughes) 1426142547
Buzzfeed spoke with Michael Hughes (above), a transgender man from Minnesota, about his decision to join in on the campaign.
"I used men's restrooms several years before transition. I had a hard time using women's rooms most of my adult life. I would be able to use men's facilities without question but that's a privilege not every trans person has, especially early in transition."
LGBT and human rights groups have been vocal in their opposition to such laws, and hope that rising awareness of the difficulties faced by trans people when it comes to something as simple as using the bathroom will result in positive change.
