Last Saturday, a protest in Los Angeles’s Koreatown was declared an unlawful assembly by the police department. The protest, which became violent, was over a viral video that encapsulated the clash between transgender activism and women’s rights.
In the video, a woman confronts Wi Spa staff for allowing an individual with male genitalia who identified as female to undress in the women’s facilities. The woman is heard saying, “I just want to be clear with you, it’s OK, it’s OK for a man to go into the women’s section, show his penis around the other women, young little girls, underage? Your spa … condoned that?”
The question as to whether gender identity should supersede biological sex has become a third rail, with transgender activists arguing that transgender people should, without question, be able to access sex-segregated spaces (including locker rooms, dormitories, shelters, and prisons) in correspondence with their gender identity (that is, how they feel internally), as opposed to their birth sex. The idea that non-transgender men might exploit the system to abuse women is either dismissed as irrelevant or trivialized as political pandering.
To be clear, gender dysphoria is a real condition, and we should be sensitive and compassionate toward those who are struggling. The fact that some people will lie in order to enter single-sex spaces should not be used to support negative stereotypes about transgender people. Transgender people tend to be hyperaware of these concerns when they are in such spaces and, for that reason, will often go out of their way to be respectful. As well, a transgender woman would not likely be parading around, exposing male anatomy to strangers, because doing so would worsen feelings of gender dysphoria.
The problem is that policies allowing entry to women-only spaces based on self-identification fail to make this critical distinction. As someone who has worked with sex offenders in both clinical and research contexts, I know there are several reasons why men will seek victims this way. Exhibitionists revel in shocking unsuspecting bystanders by flashing them. Voyeurs enjoy viewing people in the nude without their awareness or consent. Pedophiles have a sexual preference for prepubescent children.
Upholding gender identity as a protected class has enabled a man’s sexual proclivities to take precedence over a woman’s right to feel physically safe. My advice to women and girls, if they should find themselves in an uncomfortable situation, is to listen to your gut, remove yourself from the vicinity, and in the event of inappropriate behavior, report the incident to law enforcement.
Avoid being alone because the presence of witnesses makes it more difficult for a sexual offense to occur. Look for hidden cameras before disrobing, particularly in imperceptible areas such as air vents, ceiling tiles, and under sinks, because voyeuristic offenders are known to film their victims.
With so much discussion about consent in recent years, the fact that women must even consider taking these precautions is mind-boggling. Women deserve to have their concerns addressed seriously, instead of being trampled on and gaslit into believing they are hateful and fearmongering.
Dr. Debra Soh is a sex neuroscientist, the host of The Dr. Debra Soh Podcast, and the author of The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths About Sex and Identity in Our Society.
