Subscribe nowAs a guy, imagine walking into the mens bathroom and seeing a woman putting on makeup amid a sea of men at urinals. As a woman, imagine seeing a man walk into the stall next to you as you and your girlfriends go for a bathroom break.Imagine a dude in a locker room shaving his face, wearing only a towel around his waist, as your daughter gets changed in the same room. Or a woman in the mens showers with the college football team at the university gym.In our hyper-gendered world, the above examples might make you uncomfortable. But these are the implications of trans bathroom bans. This is actually what would start happening if the 44 bills that would ban trans people from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity started passing into law.And, oh wait! Some of them are already law. It is now illegal for trans people to use the bathroom of their gender identity in certain public buildings in Florida, Utah, Ohio, Kentucky, North Dakota, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma and South Carolina.And on March 19, 20-year-old trans woman Marcy Rheintgen was arrested by Florida police after she used the womens restroom at the Capitol to wash her hands. The Miami Herald said it may be one of the first arrests under a Florida bathroom bill lawmakers passed in 2023 that makes it a criminal offense for some people to use restrooms in correctional facilities, schools or public buildings that dont match their sex at birth.Rheintgen was arrested on a trespassing charge after she alerted state officials that she planned to use the bathroom in protest of the law. She was released from jail about 24 hours later.Americans have been manipulatedthrough millions of dollars of political ads and misinformation from far-right influencersto think trans people are boogeymen.The idea that many politicians and lawmakers want to use taxpayer dollars to have law enforcement go after trans people washing their hands in a bathroom that matches their gender identity should piss every American off. Is this really where you want your tax money to go when you file later this month? Or would it be better served by fixing the pothole on your block?Subscribe for LGBTQ-focused, accountability journalism. A Prison Death Highlights Russias L.G.B.T.Q. Crackdown (The New York Times) The Russian government has unleashed a wave of repression against L.G.B.T.Q. people, with the police raiding gay night clubs and investigators targeting people they suspect of being gay.House Dems Look To Expand Access To Gender-Affirming Care Amid Trump Crackdown (The Hill)More than two dozen House Democrats are looking to protect and expand availability to gender-affirming care for transgender youths and adults as the Trump administration takes steps to sharply curb access.Under Financial and Political Pressure, the LGBTQ+ Community Is Putting The Protest Back in Pride Celebrations (CNN)Under the New Trump Administration, Transgender Day of Visibility Has a Different Tone (AP News)Supporters of transgender rights gathered on the National Mall on Monday to rally for equality on Transgender Day of Visibility, following a wave of policies signed by President Donald Trump aimed at erasing transgender people from government records, sports and even history.We passed 8,000 subscribers this week. Help us continue to grow by sharing our publication with friends and others who may be interested in our work. Legendary sex columnist Dan Savage is offering our readers (thats you!) one month free to his Magnum subscription for full access to Savage Love, Magnum Savage Lovecast, Sex & Politics, and more, by entering the code: uncloseted.Over the next week, be on the lookout for new Uncloseted reporting: In the face of rising anti-LGBTQ legislation, advocates actually defeated 91% of the hundreds of bills introduced last year. But how? Hope Pisoni investigates. On Tuesday, Tom Sayers looks at how donor-advised funds are helping to fund some of Americas most notorious anti-LGBTQ hate groups. Thanks for reading! Feel free to email me with questions, complaints and story ideas! Spencer Macnaughton, Editor-In-Chief spencer@unclosetedmedia.comIf objective, nonpartisan, rigorous, LGBTQ-focused journalism is important to you, please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our fiscal sponsor, Resource Impact, by clicking this button:Donate to Uncloseted Media