Following being confronted in a public toilet about her gender identity Jay (pictured) used her TikTok account to share how distressing the incident was.
(TikTok/creatingjayrose)
A viral TikTok video has shown a cisgender woman confronted over her gender identity in a public toilet because she had short hair – which her harasser assumed meant she was trans.
The uploaded video was posted to the platform by creatingjayrose on 29 October, and it has so far received more than 2.4 million views on TikTok.
The video is captioned: “Being harassed for using the bathroom and trying to tell me the police would get me for peeing was definitely not on my list of things to do today”.
The video shows a woman ranting about people’s gender identities while Jay used the bathroom at a casino.
‘I tried to mentally prepare myself’
“I knew she was talking about me so I started recording…Today a woman thought I was trans and harassed me for using the bathroom,” she added in the video captions, while filming inside a toilet stall as her harasser rants outside the door.
“I tried to mentally prepare myself before leaving the stall knowing she was going to approach me.”
Around two minutes into the video Jay braves leaving the stall and is confronted by the women who immediately refers to Jay as a “boy” and a “child”, before asking: “Are you a man or a women”, to which Jay responds “why does that matter”.
“Well because you’re in the ladies room, and I have gotten called out several times for being in the men’s room and you’re going to be called out for whatever you’re doing, so what are you identifying as today,” the women continued.
Jay responded: “I don’t think that’s any of your business”.
The other woman replied: “Figure out your identity in your bedroom, and then project it on everybody else and we’ll accept it – this is not acceptable,”
Jay then leaves the bathroom and says “let’s go get security”, before a voice can be heard saying “that’s my girlfriend”.
@creatingjayrose Being harassed for using the bathroom and trying to tell me the police would get me for PEEING was definitely not on my list of things to do today #lgbt #nonbinary #trans #bathroom #karen #storytime #karensgonewild
It’s usually trans women who are challenged when using female bathrooms. In October this year trans woman Paula Griffin was asked to “prove” she was female by a male security guard who allegedly followed her into a McDonald’s bathroom.
Growing toxicity around trans women that has focused on women’s toilets, despite the fact that laws across the globe allows trans women to use them.
TransActual, a group founded to share facts about trans rights, notes that the Equality Act (2010) protects trans people under the “gender reassignment” protected characteristic.
Under the act trans people have the right to be treated as the gender they identify as, and can access the spaces and services they require, including public toilets.
‘Ranting and raving’ continues
In videos following the initial upload, Jay addresses the incident and said the woman was “ranting and raving” about “trans people, ‘it’, and identities”.
Jay says the worst part was the lack of support from bystanders while she was verbally abused.
“I think the most upsetting part is the fact she thought I was a trans child and was literally attacking me and no one said ‘boo’,” she said.
Jay said she didn’t confirm her gender identity because it doesn’t matter if she is trans or not.
Brought to tears
“The fact she followed me into the bathroom thinking I was a trans child to harass me and bully me out of the stall is unacceptable.
“I was literally going to the bathroom and minding my business,” said Jay.
In part two of the update video Jay said security were in place as the woman had called for assistance. She said at the point of walking out of the bathroom to speak to security she was “about to cry”.
Jay said security had to separate them as her boyfriend got upset, Jay then filed a complaint, which she said is pending investigation.
The incident reportedly led to the woman and her husband being kicked off the property.
The video has also circulated on Twitter and has shocked those who have viewed it.
One user said: “Transphobes are a danger to women and trans people”, while another questioned “why would you harass someone you think is a child?”
Multiple people pointed out the woman had stated she had been called out “several times” for using the men’s rooms, while she continued to grill Jay.
PinkNews has contacted Jay for comment.