Note: I am going to be 100% real with you guys but also keep in mind that this is just my personal experience and this isn't how all trans people feel ❤️
I waited until I physically looked like a female no questions asked and then asked my AFAB friends if they would feel comfortable if they didn't know me and saw me using their restroom, and they said yes so I started to use the women's restroom
However, there is another side to this story. I will ALWAYS use a family restroom if there's one available. Why? Well there's a couple different reasons!
My number one reason is my respect for women who wear hijabs. I get so frustrated when people say "We're all here to do the same thing, why does it matter where you do it?" because it's not always that simple. Hijabi women deserve a safe and comfortable space to remove their gorgeous crowns if wanted or needed and it's not my place to interfere with that. Yes, I do technically have female reproductive organs, but I wasn't born with those, I was born with male reproductive organs that I got surgically removed so therefore it's not my place to be in that space when they are present
My other reason formed from a couple years of volunteering at a psychiatric hospital. I remember there being a few women who had previously been SA'd and couldn't be around men due to that for long periods of time. It truly opened my eyes to that fear being a reality for so many girls and women. The female restroom provides security for them and it's not my place to intrude on that considering I am assigned male at birth. Is it easier to just use their restroom? Absolutely. But my comfort shouldn't come before a biological woman's right to feel safe
If no family restroom is available, I will use the women's for my own safety as if I used the men's I could possibly be harassed or worse. If I wasn't a victim of s***al a**ult by a man, maybe I would feel safer, but unfortunately this is just the reality for me right now. This is why I will ALWAYS advocate for separate restrooms for trans people
There are a few smaller reasons I try to use family restrooms when available but those are my top ones, thank you for reading 🥰
