As I read Judith Halberston's "Female Masculinity," I couldn't help but feel ashamed at myself because I realized that I could be one of those women who, upon seeing a "gender-ambiguous" person in the women's bathroom thinks, "Is he or she in the right place?" I would never say it out loud, but thinking it is just as awful. I felt so evil for being someone who could make such a public, free space such an awful experience for others. While I know now not to think such things, what can be done to effect this change in others? On the one hand, simply creating gender-neutral restrooms wouldn't really solve the problem because it reinforces the idea of separation; it goes against (what I believe to be) the feminist credo of equalizing. On the other hand, it deeply troubles me that those who are "gender-ambiguous" find bathrooms such an intensely limiting space, so perhaps a gender-neutral bathroom would be a safe haven of sorts for those who want it while simultaneously ushering society into a new era of acceptance and awareness. I think that the addition of gender-neutral bathrooms would foster open and honest discussion on what gender really means. So... what is the "right" thing to do?

(Someone posted about the effect on children, which I think is a fantastic point--I wouldn't have even thought about that!)