So I've read lots of descriptions of using men's rooms, but as far as I know, they're all very US focussed. Are the bathroom rules universal or are there cultural differences? I'm in Asia, and there are a lot of differences in cultural norms, gender stereotypes, and homosexuality fears. It's a bigger deal to be gay here, but a lot of things that are considered "gay" in the west aren't a source of fear. I'm not on T, but I'm starting to have issues with women's bathrooms. Not just that I hate doing it, but that I'm getting harassed while I'm in there, they think I don't belong. But I don't know that I can actually pass in a men's room either. I'm a white guy, so I can't just assume no one will look, I get stared at everywhere. For now, I try to hold it and avoid the bathrooms, but sometimes it just isn't possible, or extremely uncomfortable. I stp with a plain medicine spoon.

It really depends on which country you are, since Asian cultures are quite diverse. I use stalls if possible. They are not always available, but usually not too hard to find one. Since you are white, you are more likely to be stared. If you are not very confident if you can pass as a man, my suggest is wearing a hoodie to cover part of your face and just go as quick as possible.

It really depends on what Asian country you are in. I'm white but I live in Osaka, Japan and have for three years now. I was just starting transition when I moved here.

Osaka tends to be a bit more liberal than other places in Japan but I totally understand the bathroom issue. I realized I couldn't use the women's ever again when I had a nice elderly woman stop me and ask me if the bathrooms were on different sides where I'm from. She then informed me that I needed to be careful because I was running the risk of getting the cops called on me for being a perv. I apologized profusely and played it off as jet lag since it was in my first few days.

I do get looks in the men's room but it's mostly because I'm very, very foreign. Being blond and blue eyed I have a hard time not being stared at under the best of circumstances. I don't use a stp but I do use stalls if there is one free. Typically though, to avoid any weird looks I just use the handicap bathrooms that are in the middle of the two or in the hallway leading to the men's room. I haven't had any issues and I've seen plenty of other guys my age use them. In my case, I feel like it's better to make myself mildly uncomfortable using those bathrooms than being stared at.

That being said, I have never had an issue in men's rooms here. Most people assume I'm much younger than I am and while I get looks it's just because I'm foreign, not because they think I'm female. I have in the past seen women in the men's rooms here when there are lines at the women's. If anything the guys just sigh and shake their heads but go back to looking at their phones while they wait.

A good rule of thumb for etiquette in men's rooms all over is just go in, do your business and leave. Everyone else in there just needs to relieve themselves and they want to get in and out just like you do. If you have a comfortable level with the language it's easy enough to play it off as a mistake or tell them that you are younger than you are. For me, my resident card says female because my papers are not all sorted yet, but I've never been asked to prove I'm male. I've also never been questioned by anyone in the men's room.

If you live in a country that uses squatty potties, I will warn that a lot of men's rooms I've encountered outside of major shops and train stations have them and maybe one western toilet. If you don't live in a modern area, this could be awkward. I live in a relatively poor area that's mostly older folks and very young families just getting on their feet, and I see the squatters everywhere.

I'm in China, very white with red hair and blue eyes. I'm in a major city, but not one of the really big ones with lots of foreigners, so I stand out where ever I go regardless of how I dress. It's actually one of the reasons I decided to move. This way I don't have to wonder if people are staring at me, I can write it off every time as "because I'm white" or "I made a foreigner social error", and they can mostly do the same with me. They don't know exactly how I'm supposed to look, just that I don't look like them.

I've always looked very young, even as a woman, people generally peg me as early 20s instead of 30s. As a guy, I don't know, 15 at best? But I've been trying to dress more professional to compensate. Maybe I'd do better trying to look like a teenager, but I think I'd be back to feeling like not me, kind of like when people think I'm a girl. I don't have enough language yet to have any kind of conversation, which means my voice mostly won't give me away either. And I could definitely play on the stupid foreigner line, just act confused and leave. I do it all the time anyway. I was mostly worried that there might be more looking than in the west, since guys are more ok with stuff here. But if they look and see plastic, they might react poorly or violently. Though I guess in a stall, they couldn't see even if they look.

I'm much more comfortable with the handicap toilets when they're available, but they often aren't. I guess I just have trouble believing that no one would question me in a men's room, women have been doing it since I was about 10, and it's so weird that men and women care so differently. Squat toilets are very common, even in women's rooms and it's all I have at work. I am perfectly capable of using them the normal way, but I usually choose to stand at them even in a women's room as long as there is enough of a door to cover me, just because it's easier and I don't risk peeing on myself as much. (ironic since that's usually the stp concern) I still prefer western toilets though, because the floor is awful far away to aim at and its splashy. At this point, I wouldn't wait in line for any toilet, unless I was actively trying to present female, I don't think I can pull off either for long enough, and I'd get too anxious.

I'm pretty nervous about the idea of trying it, but it also sounds really empowering too. Maybe I can find somewhere empty to try.