I'm ftm transgender/transsexual. sometime in the middle of elementary school i just started feeling uncomfortable going to the bathroom there. i didn't realize it had anything to do with wanting to be a guy but i just didn't want to go there. so i avoided it. and even if i really needed to go to the bathroom i held it and the only time i did go to the bathroom there was when nobody else was there and i was bursting. even though i hated the school bathroom i didn't mind public bathrooms in general (like mall bathrooms and stuff) but shortly after my uncomfortablility with school bathrooms, i couldn't stand public bathrooms. and i've gotten to the point where i just don't need to go anywhere but at home. i don't feel any need to pee outside of home, and even when i do get home i don't need to go until i've stayed a while. is that weird? has anybody else had similar experiences?

I feel uncomfortable using public bathrooms, but still need to use them sometimes. I am allowed to use the male bathrooms at school now and no one bothers me, but I'm still nervous about people. I refuse to set foot in female bathrooms.

As a ftm I never really experienced this dring childhood, but now I do as I go to a small college with a small group of people in my major. I wouldn't want to go in the mens restroom with the non-LGBT friendly people. I do still use the female restroom as I can't really pass well due to a massive chest, I only use it 10-15 mins after class has started because the chance of being caught going in the womens restroom is lower. You would think that the newer side of the building would have a unisex restroom, but my college doesn't care for GLBT folk or minorities. If I'm feeling up to it I will walk across campus to the unisex bathrooms, but there aren't many.

Bathrooms were a HUGE issue for me when I started school, the first place I encountered gender-specific washrooms. I would NOT use the boys room and teachers hauled me out of the girl's room more than once so I found a bush in the school yard I could hide behind! Either that or I would put my hand up during class to use the washroom, get scolded for not going at recess, and be allowed to use the girls washroom during class time when nobody was in the halls.

Things improved by high school because I was so obviously "different" (breast development!) that I was allowed to use a single-user staff washroom.and the college I went to had a few single-user washrooms.

Quote from: Northern Jane on November 16, 2013, 04:16:30 AM
Bathrooms were a HUGE issue for me when I started school, the first place I encountered gender-specific washrooms. I would NOT use the boys room and teachers hauled me out of the girl's room more than once so I found a bush in the school yard I could hide behind! Either that or I would put my hand up during class to use the washroom, get scolded for not going at recess, and be allowed to use the girls washroom during class time when nobody was in the halls.

Things improved by high school because I was so obviously "different" (breast development!) that I was allowed to use a single-user staff washroom.and the college I went to had a few single-user washrooms.

honestly, i admire u. i could never protest so openly about something like that. with bathrooms i just silently stopped using them. with my teachers pissy behavior i took it and tried to stay under the radar. and even if i had protested nobody would take me seriously lol. keep it up!

Quote from: Quinnfong on November 17, 2013, 04:11:40 PMkeep it up!

LOL! I am almost 40 years post-op so it hasn't been an issue for a LONG time!

I never had an issue with using the men's restroom (as long as they're clean; I guess that means I have issues only half the time ), but I need a stall. I'm simply unable to urinate standing, for some reason. It's usually not a problem in restrooms, but humiliating if on a road trip and asked to "just go outside the car" and so on. The worst episode I can remember was during a week-long class trip in middle school. The bus driver only allowed girls into the bus lavatory, and told the boys to urinate when we stopped for breaks. One day, after a few hours of driving I needed to go badly, so I told him I'm unable to urinate standing and asked if I couldn't use the lavatory. He just laughed, denied my request and said "if you can't pee standing, you're not a real boy".

Exactly. When we finally reached the destination a few hours later, my bladder felt like it could rupture at any moment. I still have a phobia against long bus rides .

Quote from: Rina on November 17, 2013, 06:54:20 PM
He just laughed, denied my request and said "if you can't pee standing, you're not a real boy".

this guy seems like a jerk.

Quote from: Quinnfong on November 18, 2013, 02:52:21 AM
this guy seems like a jerk.

Totally. Yikes.

as others have said, I too used to go during classes, so that there was nobody around. This year I'm lucky because we have gender neutral bathrooms, but it won't last long. For some time I tried to keep it, but I couldn't resist for more than six hours so it was useless because I stay out all day long. Everytime I go on holiday or on long trips I'm always worried about that, because I'm not sure I'll find a way to use bathrooms when there is nobody else.