A transgender protester in Illinois has been arrested for washing his hands in the toilet of a woman at the Florida State Capitol.
But that’s not because she was kicked out or reported by the police by others.
Rather, she left herself off.
According to Miami Herald20-year-old college student Mercy Rhineinchen warned Florida lawmakers of their intention to use women’s toilets in protest of the state’s 2023 transgender bathroom ban.
Reinzen, a regular visitor to Florida grandparents and calling the state a “home away from home,” wrote to Florida lawmakers in early March to inform them of their plans to use women’s toilets. She also included a self-identifying photo.
“I know in your mind that this law is wrong and unjust,” writes Rheintgen. “I know that in your mind, trans people are human and we cannot arrest us. I know that I have dignity.
“So I know you won’t arrest me.”
On the day Rheintgen was going to use the bathroom, she met two officers. Rheintgen went into the toilet to wash her hands.
The officer told her that she would issue a notice that would appear before the judge, preventing her from being put in prison. However, the arrest affidavit said the officers did not meet the criteria for notifications that Rheintgen appears.
Rheintgen said Herald When she was talking to the officers, she was a bit “sakky” and hinted that she might use the women’s toilet again.
That’s when they arrested her and accused her of trespassing. She was released from prison 24 hours after her arrest.
Rheintgen lives in Illinois, so she has to find a way to return to Florida for future hearings. Trespassing is a second misdemeanor, so if convicted, Rheintgen could be jailed for up to 60 days.
Rheintgen claims to be “medium conservative.” She said Herald She regretted her choice to challenge the law and didn’t think she would actually be arrested.
“Everything that is politics seems so abstract and philosophical from afar,” she said. “This is the first time that really affected me. I was arrested and sent to prison for the government. [Ron] Desantis’ policy – it’s crazy, it’s crazy! ”
Rheintgen is believed to be the first person to be arrested for violating the toilet ban.
Fourteen states have passed laws prohibiting transgender women from entering women’s toilets in government buildings, but Florida and Utah are the only two states that criminalized their actions.
Furthermore, Florida law applies only to government-owned property; Multiple reports Transgender or non-binary Floridians are faced with, harassed and threatened by using gender-affirming toilets in private companies exempt from the law.
Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida, a statewide LGBTQ advocacy group, said: Associated Press Bathroom bans aim to blackmail trans people by making them vulnerable to harassment and arrests.
“Mercy Reinzgen’s arrest is not safe,” Smith said. “It’s about cruelty, humiliation, and the intentional erosion of human dignity. Transgender people have used gender-oriented toilets for generations.
Rheintgen worries that if she is forced to go to prison, she could be placed in the cell with the man, forced to cut her long hair, and denied access to the hormonal therapy she is currently taking.
“People say it’s a legal test. AP. “It’s how they test the law. But I didn’t do this to test the law. I did it because I was upset.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
