Why The 'Bathroom Predator' Myth Is 'Straight-Up Right-Wing B.S.'

Carlos Maza of Media Matters

Media experts, law enforcement, and real live trans people explain why the fear of men "pretending" to be trans to attack women and children in bathrooms has no basis in reality.

Sunnivie Brydum

Sunnivie is the managing editor of The Advocate, and an award-winning journalist whose passion is covering the politics of equality and elevating the unheard stories of our community. Originally from Colorado, she and her spouse now live in Los Angeles, along with their three fur-children: dogs Luna and Cassie Doodle, and "Meow Button" Tilly.

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Sunnivie Brydum

April 12 2016 9:37 AM EST

April 12 2016 9:51 AM EST

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Amid a nationwide discussion of where transgender people should be allowed to relieve themselves, opponents of equal access frequently trot out the provably false claim that sexual predators will exploit nondiscrimination laws to attack women and children.

But there's one glaring problem with that argument, as American Civil Liberties Union staff attorney Chase Strangio explains in a new video from Media Matters:

"That's never happened, in the history of any nondiscrimination law," explains Strangio, who is himself a transgender man. "So basically, the idea is, We can't protect trans people, because if we do, everyone is going to pretend to trans so they can go into the bathroom and assault the people they really wanted to assault, but they can't, because there was no legal mechanism for them to do so. That's ridiculous."

That's not just ridiculous, adds Media Matters research fellow Carlos Maza. "That bathroom predator talking point is some straight-up, right-wing bullshit."

Media Matters has repeatedly debunked the so-called bathroom predator myth, but the video released today is arguably the most concise, direct dismantling of this dangerous claim the progressive media watchdog group has undertaken to date.

Watch the brief video below, and share with elected officials, conservative family members, and anyone else who tries to claim that letting transgender people use the bathroom or locker room that matches their gender identity somehow endangers cisgender (nontrans) people. Because it simply isn't true.