Seamus Johnston tells his powerful story as a part of The New York Times’ series “Transgender Today”. Seamus was a college student receiving a full scholarship, and although he started transitioning the summer before starting college, he was expelled from the University of Pittsburgh for using “the wrong bathroom”.
“I had loved college up to that point: I was an honors student in computer science and I had a full merit scholarship. I was living as a man in all aspects of my life and did everything from changing the sex and name on my driver’s license to registering for the selective service to taking a men’s weightlifting class for two semesters. But to the University, I was not considered enough of a man to use the men’s bathrooms. The University sent campus police officers to stake out men’s facilities and ‘catch’ me coming out. They expelled me just for using facilities that match who I am. It was a terrifying and lonely time for me.”
According to GLSEN’s 2013 National School Climate Survey: 59.2% of transgender students had been required to use the bathroom or locker room of their legal sex.
worriesconstantly