Everyone uses the bathroom on a daily basis, and many obstacles are encountered daily. Some of these obstacles are long lines, not having a bathroom close to our location, bathrooms being out of service, and many more things. What if besides the daily challenges that you faced, you had to wonder whether you should use the female or male bathroom? Or what if you were not able to access a bathroom that was right for you?

Bazelon starts of her article by stating that bathrooms are clearly separated by signs depicting a man or a woman. People decide to use the bathroom based on the gender that they have been designed. However, since people have started changing and classify as the opposite gender now or as transgender, it is difficult for them to use a restroom that accommodates them. The community does not make it easy for transgender people to adjust, because some refuse to mix males and females. This refusal to integrate transgender people into society is causing a great controversy.

The cause of this problem is mainly the male and female members of society that find it difficult to accept that someone might want to change their gender to find a gender identity that better suits them. Bazelon uses examples in the school environment. School officials agree with referring to students with the names and pronouns that they prefer. Schools also allow transgender students to join extracurricular activities of their choice without having to worry about gender. While schools have been doing a good job at adjusting with students’ gender identities, “deciding where they should change and shower and use the bathroom has been trickier.”

The reason why the bathrooms that one uses is such a difficult thing to change, is because people do not know how to consider a person that changes gender. Would a male that crosses over into a woman, me a woman or would he still be identified as a male?  This is a topic that is very difficult to discuss. When talking about transgender people and bathrooms, the word accommodation is used. Accommodate means “to make fitting”, and it can be a “a word of welcome” or “it can also have a compulsory aspect” depending on how it is used. It is used in this passaged because people are being forced to adapt to the changes and”make room for other people.”

To help the government make the change, this is issue is related to religion issues and work, and people with disabilities. The work place accommodates with the beliefs of religious people, and also people with disabilities have to be accommodated where ever they go. This closely relates to transgender people because if they cannot use the bathroom then they technically cannot go anywhere.

Bazelon wrote this article to show how this really is not as big of an issue as people make it seem. Yes, transgender people still face discrimination when it comes to bathrooms but is all based on society. Because society views them as different they are not accepted yet. However, just like any other problem that America has overcome it takes a gradual process. As more times passes society will probably become more accepting.