Mississippi governor signs bill to let cis people sue trans people if they use the bathroom
https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/05/mississippi-governor-signs-bill-to-let-cis-people-sue-trans-people-if-they-use-the-bathroom/Open linkView original on lemmy.world432
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How about sign a bill to have proper doors on stalls so no one can see you? Then it doesn't matter.
This has nothing to do with bathrooms, privacy, or "protecting women." The entire intent of laws like these is to attack trans people and make it effectively illegal to be trans in public. Fascists need a minority enemy in order to maintain power and we are their latest favourite punching bag.
Sounds like communism
No no, the boogey man is currently "socialism"
If I ever go to Mississippi I guess I'm gonna have to piss on the governor's mansion instead
Why would you ever do something so disgusting?
Go to Mississippi I mean, it’s the literal worst state in the worst country.
You don't know how much that means to me as a Texan. I was thinking we were the worst, but you give me hope.
As a former Floridian, I thought Florida was the worst.
No, wait, I'm pretty sure Florida is still the worst, but Mississippi is going to be joining Florida on Erin's Do Not Travel list. :(
Florida speed ran to the bottom. Mississippi has been awful from the start. Texas is the disappointment state, it keeps looking like it might turn blue before pulling some bullshit
America sucks but have you heard of Haiti?
The US is the worst country? Wat? Bro, have you heard of North Korea?
This seems a little dramatic
Edit: lol downvoted for mildly pushing back against the idea that the US is the worst of the ~200 other countries in the world. Never change, Lemmy.
Try being trans, gay, or black here then get back to me.
Edit: or poor. Or homeless. Or neurodivergent. Or mentally ill.
Actually you know what, just go fuck yourself, how’s that?
I've got real bad news about how the rest of the world feels about those things then.
As sad as it is, America is one of the most progressive and diverse nations in the world.
Looks at Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, etc
This also seems incredibly dramatic
I'm not trying to say that the US is perfect, but do you honestly believe that the US is the "worst" place to be any of the things you listed?
There are plenty of places in the world you would be put to death for being gay. Try asking an immigrant from literally any of those countries if they prefer the US and get back to me.
We did it guys! The bar is a millimeter off the floor and we cleared it!
You're actually arguing that the difference between being put to death and not is a "millimeter off the floor"? That is some privileged nonsense, frankly.
I agree that the US has problems, but hyperbolic doomerism is hardly conducive to changing any of that.
I'm saying "Some places are worse" is not an argument that "This is fine".
The point being discussed is that this is a terrible law and an example of Mississippi being a shit hole. You are just side tracking the conversation because you don't understand the function of hyperbole in speech and think talking about how "The US isn't literally the worst place to live" is somehow a helpful or useful conversation to have in light of the topic art hand.
The US has problems, and insisting that some places are worse is hardly conducive to changing any of that.
Can we petition to rename it Missipississipy?
Too difficult to pronounce. Let's just call it Pississippi. There's too many M states and only one P state anyway 🤷
Bed bugs man
People are starving and unhoused and that's exactly why they're focusing on this. To distract people from the source of their actual issues. Bread and circuses.
As a circus performer, I'd rather not be dragged down to the level of these shit heads.
No no, I don't intend to besmirch circuses. It's a phrase attributed to a second century AD Roman poet, referring to politicians generating public approval by providing diversion instead of fixing the root causes of issues or even handling those issues at all.
We could also say "bread and games".
Food and sports
Dang you’re right that is so unfair to circus professionals
Ironically, most circus performers tend to be very liberal. The circus sideshow is home to all the outcasts, and a large chunk of us are trans or queer. Many of us are disabled, some of us have deformities or body mods (I have a forked tongue). Republicans would undoubtedly send us to the gallows if they could.
I've literally gone on stage to warn people about the bills that Republicans are trying to pass. At our core, we're artists, and we're trying to fight the good fight.
In fact, the history of the "freak show" is very interesting and worth reading about. It's a story of how capitalism exploits vulnerable populations for profit (PT Barnum is a piece of shit), though it has evolved a lot over time and is different now.
40 minute video essay on the topic
Yes? They're focusing on issues where they don't like status quo.
I was talking to my therapist yesterday about this, before this news dropped. How I couldn't wait to get my new ID card with an F on it so that I could finally go to the bathroom without too much fear. If someone happened to spot that maybe I was trans, I could just put it out and say "look, I'm a woman" and walk away.
But she was in disbelief at this. She genuinely couldn't wrap her head around the idea of someone making a scene because a trans person was in their bathroom. Like, at first, she thought I was blowing up a non existent issue. "Who would do this?!", she asked, And I told her it was an actual issue that lots of people were doing it and therefore lots of trans people avoided the bathroom like the plague.
And when I told her about some US states new laws, taking Utah as an example, her jaw dropped. She had this look of utter disappointment, like I had just chipped away a piece of her faith in humanity.
Not only did the idea never crossed her mind, she couldn't even conceive why it would be a problem. I laughed at this and told her: "That's because you're a normal person."
Just wanted to share this with all of you, especially fellow trans people. It's good to know that while some people are mentally deranged at the idea of my existence, It not only seems to be a very loud minority, but it also seems to be a repellent for a lot of people who cannot grasp their obsessions.
Seeing someone who isn't really aware of our issues in the first place being shocked at these things was relieving. It felt good and gave me hope.
Even though I rationally understand it, I still have a hard time wrapping my head around it. Let someone shit in peace. If I'm in the men's room and someone comes in there that looks like a woman dressed as a man, I couldn't care less.
In fact, if someone came into the men's room and looked like Marylin Monroe in the famous white dress, I couldn't care less.
Piss, shit, whatever.
Just don't talk to me. I'm not in there to make friends.
Imagine going to the bathroom, just to take a shit! How fucking weird, right? (/s)
...seriously, I wonder what these people imagine we're doing in the bathroom. Or hell, what are they doing in the bathroom that warrant such worries?
They like to bring up the "a man could wear a dress and go into the women's room and rape a little girl" canard. To which I reply, "they'd probably get away with that more easily if they wore a janitor's uniform. We really should ban janitors from bathrooms."
They don't care for that suggestion.
I may be pulling something out of my ass but I honestly can't be bothered to check. But, wasn't this something that was said about lesbian women too? That they shouldn't be allowed in women's bathroom because they would pry on other women and so on?
Not only was that a thing, a lot of the transphobic violence in bathrooms winds up hitting cis lesbians
Or just, like, cis girls with short hair.
At this point, maybe people should just start shitting on the floor if someone tries to challenge them.
Nobody even notices at Wal-Mart
Of course not, but just try doing it in an Aeropostale.
...not that I'd know anything about that.
They already do this in church. They don't need to risk trying it in a public bathroom.
So the only thing stopping them from doing that now is the dress detecting force field around the bathroom?
Taking your penis off and rubbing it on the toilet paper, obviously
There’s three acceptable forms of communication in the restroom: functional (eg after you), quick compliments on outfit/makeup (some dislike it but it grew on me), and the far too drunk lady who speaks the wisdom she cannot possess
"Smells like you've been eating your recommended dose of fiber. Great job!"
Sounded like your were fryin' chicken in there. I like that.
Whenever I walk into a public restroom, I whip out my portable lab equipment and forcibly karyotype everyone there. How else am I supposed to piss for 20 seconds in peace?
The thing that gets me with this is, how is anyone to know?
If you present as the gender on the door, what are they going to do? Rip your pants down and check? Cop a feel? That’s assault. Peep through the stall? Pretty sure that’s a misdemeanor, most places.
I get the idea behind this is terror, but “Fuck off! I’m shitting here!” should be the only response anyone should get to a nosy question in the bathroom.
It's because these people have the "we can always tell" mentality. But then they're the same people who go harass trans guys on Twitter telling them that they will never be women....
They have an outdated idea of trans people and think that trans women are literally just guys in dresses (kinda like 80s transvestites, if that word is still usable). So they expect to see fucking Frankenfurter from Rocky horror or Eddie Izzard (she's fantastic and all but let's not kid ourselves that she's what they expect trans women to look like)
Well considering that one woman literally pulled another woman's skirt down (not all the way) because she felt it was too short, in front of other people, and then called 911 herself, I wouldn't put it past someone in a bathroom to do worse if they "suspected" someone was trans, whether or not they actually are
Also I'm sorry for all the commas but I already did it and I don't want to edit it lol
And people who would do this think they can always tell. What are the odds they’ll believe a 6’2” woman when she says she was born with the vulva they just made visible?
Not all trans women pass. It takes a combination of the genetic lottery, a lot of money, time, and work to pass. Not everyone has that luck nor those resources. Nonbinary folks are also put in a no-win situation.
I’ve met and currently work with more than a few folks, who were neither trans or crossdressers, of both genders that would have trouble “passing” as their own gender.
On a completely unrelated topic:
https://codes.findlaw.com/al/title-13a-criminal-code/al-code-sect-13a-3-23/
https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2020/title-16/chapter-3/article-2/section-16-3-23-1/
I don’t spend as much time in these states so you’ll have to find code yourself but here’s some interesting summaries:
https://giffords.org/lawcenter/state-laws/stand-your-ground-in-mississippi/
https://giffords.org/lawcenter/state-laws/stand-your-ground-in-texas/
https://giffords.org/lawcenter/state-laws/stand-your-ground-in-louisiana/
https://giffords.org/lawcenter/state-laws/stand-your-ground-in-florida/ https://giffords.org/lawcenter/state-laws/stand-your-ground-in-tennessee/
I always prefer to avoid conflict wherever possible, even if it means not going somewhere I want to go, but it’s always nice to know I have options should things go sideways. Always learn the law in your area. It makes making a profit easier.
I will just never go back to the south. I won't spend tourism money in places that want me dead. I am not shy to tell friends and family to avoid it too. Most people are unaware of how bad it is getting out there for trans people and when I tell them they usually agree that they don't want to support those economies either.
Can't wait for all the dudes walking into the ladies room simply because of chromosomes. They never consider the reverse when dog whistling...
Pretty sure this already happened to a trans guy once and you wouldn’t guess what they did…. They were mad about a man in the women’s room 🤦♀️
He got beat up and arrested.
You how they say, "it's not a bug, it's a feature"? Well...
I'd love a source on that.
I mean, actually, is love for it not to have happened and for people to just stop being assholes, but barring that, I would be interested to see this corroborated
They don't care. Their goal is for trans people to be too afraid to go to any restroom, or for them to face consequences if they dare go to any restroom.
Can trans people sue cis people for harassment then?
No. "Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect." Trans people are one of their main out-groups.
I would always always always rather go to the bathroom with a trans person rather than a conservative. Those people are truly dangerous, and trans people are awesome. They also are not the ones who randomly decide to shoot someone for existing.
All conservatives are trash.
All anybody isn't trash, however most might be.
Except, like, Nazis? I'll agree that people should never be Nazis
No, they were correct.
Mississippi governor volunteers to be a piss-bucket
Let the rest of NA band together and start calling them pississippi and let their residents scratch their heads
And if they get uppity about it, they get labelled MissusPissy
Ok, so what if dad brings his 3-year-old daughter into the men’s room, or mom brings her infant son into the ladies room? Can I sue over the emotional trauma that caused me?
Or more importantly what if I use the bathroom in my home and then my wife or daughter use it later? Can I sue them both?
I assume that integrated into this bill are guaranteed rights that trans people can countersue for harassment and defamation if they are misgendered while using the legally mandated bathroom.
Typical fascist America.
In fascist capitalist America, they check your genitalia before you use the bathroom.
Every American criticizes North Korea and China for much less.
Yes, the United States of Mississippi
Nina Simone sang it about the black experience in Mississippi in the 1960s. With a couple of minor lyrics changes, it could be about the queer experience today.
"This is a show tune but the show hasn't been written for it yet."
Oh, awesome! Cause that's what I need when I'm struggling. I don't need health care. I don't need a livable wage. I don't need equal rights. I need to sue trans people.
See? Repubs are giving us a path to success. Just sue a trans person who maybe has no money to pay out and everything is fine!
That governor looks like an adult baby. Creepy pedo vibes for sure
Peter Griffins special needs brother
Today, in "problems only people that check other people's private in bathroom have"…
Those poor judges who want to deal with legitimate cases
Oh the fifth circuit is SO excited for this
Edit: I had to google to double check, but yes, Mississippi is part of the fifth circuit (ones of the most conservative appeals courts in the USA)
I'm sure the conservative half of SCOTUS won't complain if it gets kicked up to them either.
If by some foul twist of fate I ever find myself in Mississippi, and by some cruel trick of the Gods I have to use a bathroom in mississippi, and someone while I'm peeing decides to look and check to make sure I have a penis my first instinct would be to shoot that person.
"Sorry your honor. I assume the deceased was gay and I panicked"
You can have my gun.
And my axe
I was wondering if Alabama would somehow be the worst for a while, there's always Mississippi
Thank God for Mississippi
Where are people supposed to shit?!
Where does their state congress meet? Inside their desks sounds reasonable to me.
They’re trying to legislate them out of existence.
The entire point is to make their existence illegal. Then no matter what they do you can charge them with the excuse of "they shouldn't have broken the law."
the lawn
This is some hardcore Jim Crow level shit.
insanity.
I'm not Trans, and abso-fucking-lutely don't want anyone asking what I've got between my legs anytime I need to take a shit.
Conservatives are cockroaches.
Cockroaches are just a nuisance. Republicans are cancer.
Cancer roaches... Conservatives are cancer roaches.
I hate conservative ideology but I'm not cool with dehumanizing them in this fashion. That's literally the words of fascism. Jews were referred to as cockroaches in Germany in the 1930s.
Your enemy has already dehumanized you. They are fascists. You're offering them far more sympathy and compassion than they would ever give you, and they would gladly use your sympathy against you given any opportunity.
Yes, because we're better than them.
Your "betterness" is only seen by conservatives as weakness to exploit. As we move into an era of much more deadly consequences, your position of "being better" is dangerous to you and those around you.
Then let them think we’re weak. Dehumanizing others goes against my principles, whether or not that person dehumanizes me. I won’t compromise myself to “best” them because doing so would defeat the purpose.
Refusing to dehumanize them doesn’t make us any more exploitable, and I would argue refusal to dehumanize others solidifies trust on the side of those with humanity left.
When I see someone refuse to sink to such low states as calling other humans “cockroaches” i have more respect for them, and that much more faith trust they won’t turn around and call me a cockroach a few years down the line when political tides change.
If you’re out here calling people cockroaches then I really don’t give a fuck what you have to say. Bad faith, emotional based insults get us nowhere. They give us too much ammo to be that lazy.
Humanizing an enemy who will not return the sentiment is how kind, empathetic people are led to their deaths. Withholding emotions for an enemy (who is incapable of empathy and who delights in your suffering) helps to eliminate emotional conflicts when hesitation will result in loss.
On the topic of emotional responses: Your emotional response to my withholding of empathy for the enemy leads me to distrust your ability to do what is needed when the time comes. I argue that the "emotional response" in this argument has been yours alone.
In any other situation, where an existential life and death conflict was not at hand, I would agree with you. When prepping for war, however, I must insist on not being empathetic with my enemy.
My response wasn’t particularly emotional but sure.
Keeping my empathy doesn’t preclude me from being discerning, swift and decisive in moments of crisis or high risk. I prefer to be kind, that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to be vicious.
When “prepping for war”, it’s important to consider the non-actors that may get caught in the crossfire. “Conservatives” is a wide generalization, many of them are not only capable of empathy, but dare I say decent people, even if they’re under the spell of propaganda.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a trans woman with a gun and a plan for if/when crisis hits. I’m very aware of the current threats to my life and continued pursuit of happiness. But before that I’m human, and so are they. And as far as I can tell, most of them are as unwilling to participate in this propaganda driven culture war as I am.
So yeah, I’ll keep my empathy.
Don’t let one loud house ruin the neighborhood.
Does this also affect any private establishment that wants to have a non-gendered bathroom? Like can those businesses sue the government for overreach for putting an onerous burden on their business for needing more than one bathroom?
Sounds like people need to start suing the Mississippi governor every time they use a bathroom and demand a genital exam.
Why isn't this the fucking Onion?
The Onion Headline version:
"Bathroom Assaults on Trans People Plummets after bill allows them to be sued instead"
Only joking, theres no good to come of this
Oh we will be beaten and then given a bill for the privilege.
Republicans want BEARDED, MUSCLEY PENIS-HAVERS TO USE YOUR DAUGHTER'S BATHROOM!
It's interesting to me that I only ever hear men complaining about this issue. That might not be reality, but from what I've seen, men are using "protect our women" as a reason for this hateful legislation when most of the women they are "protecting" don't really care.
Could be confirmation bias.
It's because there's fewer women crazies in power on the right. The ones that have been elected say this kinda hateful rhetoric anytime trans people are brought up to, but most of them aren't elected because Republicans hate women too.
This is a first amendment violation. My bathroom choice is my Expression
BTW, can a woman sue a man for using the ladies' toilet?
... Yeah wouldn't that be there while point? They don't consider them women, so they are upset that "men" are using the women's room
Right, but can a cis woman sue a cis man for using the women's toilet? I have to assume the answer is yes, there would be legal grounds to sue. Or at least that the lawmakers and governor believe there would be.
What a dick.
Some state has to be the worst in every category, the other 49 states should thank Mississippi for claiming that spot in perpetuity.
God bless Mississippi for being just close enough to Missouri that I have hope that it might not be us
Cue them freaking out when bearded hairy trans men are forced to use women's washrooms because of this law.
TBH that's still preferable to assaulting them like belligerent anti-trans people usually do. /s
but my umbrage
I'd give even odds that this guy has tried on panty hose at least once.
we need to make suing people illegal, i think.
Petty lawsuits should not just be dismissed but the accuser should be charged with a misdemeanor.
i think we should allow lawsuits if you assume the full cost of the suit, meaning that if it's an ez win, you can just pro bono that shit.
imagine being one of the guys to get run over by some careless celebrity's SUV though. "every bone in your body is shattered and your legs and torso are beyond recognition? too bad you can't sue me over it"
or you know, something actually serious like getting your water supply tainted by some company dumping chemicals. that's not as funny as attempted vehicular homicide though
see that's called personal injury. Which is a little different to suing someone because "they went into the wrong bathroom, i think."
your water supply being tainted would more than likely be a government headed suit anyway. Thats kind of the point behind regulations.
I was mostly talking about the bullshit frivolous suits that people like to shit out because their feelings get hurt.