21 Fictional Characters Who Bridged the Bathroom Divide

The now-infamous North Carolina House Bill 2, which struck down LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination ordinances throughout the Tar Heel State and barred transgender people from using restrooms (in government buildings) appropriate for their gender identity, incited a loud conversation about bathroom access. But pop culture has explored this topic for years. These fictional characters in films, books, television, and even video games were bridging the great bathroom (and locker room) divide years before they came into Gov. Pat McCrory’s sights.

Some depictions are progressive and advance LGBT rights. Others rely on bathroom humor and "peeping Tom" tropes that likely set the LGBT community back and informed the "bathroom predator" myth. Regardless, each has shaped the cultural conversation on an issue on which a lot more needs to be said.