News / trans rights
Trans Loo goes on display ‘as symbol and statement of defiance’
A toilet currently in the middle of a Bristol bar is a direct response to the recent Supreme Court ruling that has fundamentally altered transgender rights in the UK.
The Trans Loo is now on display at the Watershed bar having first appeared outside the court in London whose ruling in May effectively forbade trans woman from using female toilets and trans man from using male toilets.
It is this significant uncertainty about where transgender people can safely access basic facilities in public spaces that was the inspiration behind the toilet painted in the colours of the trans flag coming to Bristol.
is needed now More than ever
Watershed CEO Clare Reddington said: “At Watershed, inclusion isn’t an add-on; it’s built into the walls, the programming and – yes – even the toilets.
“We’re proud to have created some of Bristol’s most welcoming public loos, and hosting the Trans Loo is a celebration and an ongoing commitment to access, safety and solidarity.
“Toilets are about more than function; they represent who feels safe, welcome and seen in public space.
“We’re proud to host the Trans Loo during this year’s Queer Vision and Pride season, and to stand up for dignity, inclusion and the right to exist without fear.”
View this post on Instagram
Jane Fae, a director of TransActual, on whose behalf the loo was created, added: “The Trans Loo is both symbol and statement of defiance.
“When the Supreme Court ruling came out, we heard very quickly from baroness Falkner, the head of the UK’s human rights organisation, viewed by many as anti-trans, who had some words of wisdom for the UK trans community.
“First, she seemed to believe the ruling gave organisations carte blanche to begin toilet segregation.
“And second, in the face of such discrimination, she declared that trans organisations should use their ‘powers of advocacy’ to create trans-friendly facilities.
“We took her up on the second and the Trans Loo is the result of that. Since then, as additional legal opinion suggests she was wrong to argue that organisations could now exclude trans people from using certain loos, the EHRC has rowed back on that view with a ‘clarification’.
“So, loos are no longer an issue. Sadly, no. Because a number of organisations have jumped the gun – potentially opening themselves up to legal action – by imposing restrictions on trans people.
“There is still a long way to go. But for now, it appears that the Trans Loo is emblematic both of trans exclusion and the eagerness of some organisations to bend over backwards and break the law rather than talk honestly with trans people.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
