Bathroom Etiquette (1997)
©1997, 2013 by Dallas Denny
Source: Denny, Dallas (as Sheri Scott). (1989, September). Bathroom etiquette. The Dixie Belle, 2(11), p. 9.
In the late 1970s, desperate to find support for my transsexualism but unable to do so, I came across a television program that featured crossdressers from Tri-Ess, The Society for the Second Self. In hopes of getting referrals I wrote for information, telling them I was transsexual. I was put in touch with the late Virginia Prince who told me (or so I thought) I was crazy. Put off by the discriminatory membership policy, I never joined. Finally, ten years later, I sent Tri-Ess a check. I knew I wasn’t a crossdresser, but figured sooner or later Tri-Ess contacts would help me discover where people like me had been hiding all my life. Sure enough, that’s what happened.
I took advantage of my brief time in Tri-Ess by writing for the newsletter of Sigma Epsilon, the Atlanta chapter. At first, following Tri-Ess custom, and because I had absolutely no idea my birth name worked just fine for a woman, I used a pseudonym—and because the organization was vigorously policed to exclude transsexuals, I identified myself in print as a crossdresser. I was okay with that. I knew who I was.
Bathroom Etiquette
By Dallas Denny
A full bladder always poses a conundrum for crossdressers. If away from your own toilet, you have a number of alternatives: (1) try to get home as fast as you can; (2) go in the woods; (3) use a men’s bathroom; (4) use a ladies’ bathroom; and Oops! waited too long.
If you happen to be close to your home or motel room, you can always return there to use the bathroom. Going in and out of your own home dressed in women’s clothing is, for obvious reasons, risky, but if you have rented a room, you need not worry about entering and leaving several times a day to go potty. Returning to your room may, however, require a drive across town in rush hour traffic. Sooner or later you will be forced to find some public place to do. No. Don’t even think about alternative number 2!
You’ll cause a riot if you go into a public men’s room. Going into a ladies’ room can be dangerous, especially if you don’t pass well. It’s one of the few things you can do which can get you in serious trouble with the police. Although I routinely do it, I don’t advise it. Instead, try to find a place with one bathroom for both sexes. Or, look for a place with bathrooms which admit only one person at a time. You won’t get quite the reaction if you are read coming out of a “single-seater” ladies’ room that you will get if you read by a woman who is adjusting her skirt in a busy public toilet.
Try a service station. Sure, you might have to get up nerve enough to actually go inside and ask for a key; sure, if you’re read, you might get laughed at. But there’s no danger beyond that posed to your ego. Besides, if you wait a minute, you might be able to catch the door as someone else leaves.
Small stores are another possibility. Try an antique shop. Try a used bookstore. Chances are there will be only one bathroom, and no waiting. Ahhh! Blessed relief!