Report

Gendered Restrooms and Minority Stress

The public regulation of gender and its impact on transgender people’s lives
June 2013

This report discusses findings from a survey of transgender and gender non-conforming people in Washington, D.C. about their experiences in public restrooms. It appeared in the Journal of Public Management & Social Policy in Spring 2013.

Highlights
Many respondents reported experiencing problems in public restrooms, including being denied access, verbally harassed, or physically assaulted.
Negative experiences in public restrooms impacted respondents' education, employment, health, and participation in public life.
Changes to public policies and public administration can help to address some of the problems transgender people experience in restrooms.
Data Points
18%
of respondents had been denied access to at least one gender-segregated restroom in DC
25%
of Black or African American respondents were denied access to restrooms
18%
of White respondents were denied access
68%
of respondents reported experiencing at least one instance of verbal harassment in gender-segregated public restrooms
87%
of Black or African American respondents reported experiencing verbal harassment in restrooms
63%
of White respondents reported experiencing verbal harassment
9%
of respondents reported experiencing at least one instance of physical assault in gender-segregated public restrooms

Please contact our communications office to request a copy of this study.

Gendered Restrooms and Minority Stress