I had the pleasure of going to a new bar in Wilton Manors last weekend. In the place that was Sidelines, then Balls, then The G Spot, a new bar called PINT has opened. It's monopolizing on the semi-new trend of adults playing video games while out enjoying a pint, shot, etc. I got my DIG DUG on so hard and racked up the top two scores very easily.
Then it came time to break the seal. I was on a mission that night to use as many as my free drink chips before they expire at the end of the year so there was a flood a comin'. As I approached the restrooms, I had to reset my bearings to figure out where I could talk to a man about a horse.
I so had to pee, but then I was forced to read. Where were the male symbols or female sign. Were they going to use a picture of Mario and Peach to tell people where to pee? What was going to be their gimmick?
There was no gimmick, no catch, no cutesy little whatever. There were just simple words.
THIS ROOM FOR PEOPLE WHO STAND TO PEE.
THIS ROOM FOR PEOPLE WHO SIT TO PEE.
So simple, why haven't we thought about this before. Just go into a place where we expel waste water and sit or stand, what ever you need to do. It's not a voting booth or a political rally. You are not there to make friends and who strikes up conversations in there. Just sit/stand and pee.
I went in, stood at the urinal and did what I needed to do in that room. I was hoping for someone to come in and actually chat, because those signs put a huge smile on my face for their approach and solution to a supposed problem for many out there, letting people pee how they need to, choose to.
Unfortunately peeing is so political. Model and activist and educator Rain Dove recently had an incident in a bathroom where a mother pepper sprayed them for she thought Rain should not be in the bathroom they were in.
Rain/They told PinkNews that security came into the restroom and asked if they were okay. The initial reaction was to try and remove Rain from the sink where they were trying to get the pepper spray out, thinking Rain was a man and in the wrong restroom.
Rain Dove added that they didn’t hear anything about the assault after that night until the end of October when mother decided to reach out all over social media to Rain.
Then suddenly out of the blue this person contacted me again. We had a conversation and here’s how it went. We have a Skype convo schedule with a trans friend of mine as well to get another perspective. In exchange we are buying this person lunch via delivery. Just get the education out there. Stop the pain. Stop the violence. Stop the homogenous assessment. See me for my actions not my body. I am an experience. I am intentions. I am an awareness. Not simply flesh.
What a response. I think I would not have been as calm, cool, and collected during the event or a month later. Bravo for Rain for using such words and promoting her approach with the has tags"
#LetMePee #GivePEEceAChance#genderqueer #genderfluid #lgbtq#bathroombreak #trans#transpeoplearepeople #lovewins#seeME #educatedonthate#genderisthematrix #PoopHappens
I'm a new fan of Rain Dove. With their attitude and desire to educate and not hate.
Here are some of the Instagram posts from Rain Dove's page I wanted to highlight, but go over for yourself and see their approach to life.
