When I started dressing really femme. Going into the men's in a minidress is just as likely if not more likely to get me hate crimed than if I just use the women's. I play it by ear from venue to venue whether I feel ok using the toilets at all.

When I first started transitioning I used an app some coworkers were developing to help people with specific needs find suitable restrooms in the area. It wasn't for trans people but it happened to only have single occupant restrooms so it was handy none the less.

After I was able to pass most of the time (unless I spoke) I started using the women's restroom regularly. I never tried to use a locker room or anything like that though and still probably wouldn't until bottom surgery. Even after a couple years I was still scared in public restrooms because I don't really have a passing voice. It was especially stressful when I'd go in with someone else who tried to continue talking while we were in there.

A few years ago I was forced to move back in with my folks in Texas (previously I was in Michigan) and just don't feel safe. I have used the women's restroom on several occasions when it was an emergency, but I've shifted how I leave the house to make sure I'm not gone for more than a few hours and if I am to identify a business with single use restrooms or extremely crowded ones (like Buccee's or Ikea or whatever). Texas has a law making it illegal for trans people to use the restroom of their identified gender in specifically state funded facilities, but most people think it's any bathroom so I'd rather not get shot or have to deal with the cops.

Immediately. When I started transition in the late 2000s, my prick psychologist and psychiatrist wouldn't let me get on HRT unless I came out to my entire family and immediately started living life as a woman.

It was sorta fucked up but I made it work. Passed very quickly (about six months on hrt). Always used women's restrooms. And I have never once been harassed in one. Quite privileged and I know it.

Honestly the first time. I was in a fast food and an employee opened the women's door bathroom for me. My inner self was panicked and went in inside. That was like stressful af. But at the same time wow very gender affirming ૮₍ ´ ꒳ `₎ა. I had a weird look from another woman saddly.

I still would love to make a proper thanks to that man but it's far from home and not even sure he works there.

• Bathroom: Around when the HRT started kicking in, and I stopped boymoding around the same time too. These days I'll use women's restrooms basically anywhere in my purple state and haven't really had issues yet.
• Locker rooms: I probably won't ever do this until I get SRS. Which is unfortunate because I'm basically at the point where I'm mainly considering SRS for safety reasons and maybe not because I fully want it. I really want to do longer camping/backpacking trips again but can't because I can't get myself to use the public showers.

haven't yet at all, just saying I have the exact same worries. I worry when/if I start I looking a lot more fem toilets will start to be an active anxiety. Fortunately in Australia they're ok legally with trans folk using the correct toilets, but I hope dearly that we don't end up like the Terf UK with sex enforced toilets.

I'm in the middle of slowly switching over. I haven't dared to until a couple of months ago, until a cleaner in a public toilet corrected my mistake and pointed me to the women's facilities. Since then, depending on how the surroundings feel, I'm slowly moving over.

I use women's restrooms. I started at within a month of starting HRT. I was afraid at first, so I would go to the furthest, most remote gendered restrooms, to avoid running into anyone. After about 3 months I started using the nearby women's rooms. Haven't entered a men's room in well over a year. So far no issues.

I changed the gender marker on my license within days of starting HRT, and got an amended birth certificate a few months after. I belong there, and if anyone objects I have the paperwork to prove it.

Can't speak for locker rooms, I don't like gyms or sports. I would feel uncomfortable in any locker room. So no, but restrooms have been no issue at all.

I've shared about bathroom before, I just kinda decided that's what I was going to do. I'd only been on e for like 2 months and was just wearing dark sweatpants but I was masking all the time then and I have long hair and wear a cute hat. It was an office type building so the ladies room didn't get much traffic. After the first time I realized I needed to be sitting down on the toilet. When I started doing that at home i realized that standing was actually dysphoric.

As for dressing room etc, actually I hadn't had any experience with that till this camping trip. I've now used the shower in the ladies room twice. There's only one and it has a curtain. The first time I went, I was definitely worried. I get these negative thought loops about what someone might say. There were a couple other ladies in the bathroom but they didn't really see me. I kept my butt towards the curtain in case it accidently opened, and I called out asking if they needed the shower which probably wasn't necessary. I self trained my voice before starting to transition so I am pretty comfortable with talking. The second time in the shower I was alone. It was awesome.

I think I am very lucky to be in a blue state in an area where generally people are affirming. Maybe I pass better than I think or maybe I been lucky. I know it's much harder in other places in the US and my heart goes out to anyone in a bigoted state.

My advice is to be safe. But if it seems like it could work, don't be afraid to try. If it's a facility with a manager or something, try talking to them ahead of time to see if there's ever been a problem. Of course, that means potentially outing yourself to a person of authority in the area.

🩷💜🩷

As soon as I went full time fem, which was when I started presenting at work. That was ~20 months into my transition. Well, I'd used them a couple times before that when I was presenting fem in public, but I'd generally look for single occupancy or gender neutral bathrooms back then. It was a bit scary at first, but especially now that I have passing privilege, it's just normal and slightly affirming. I've luckily never had any issues in women's bathrooms, and I highly doubt I'd run into much issue in Seattle of all places, especially Capitol Hill lol

I didn't have the confidence to go to the women's until I went camping one year and my wife or one of a frw friends would walk to the bathroom together, so I always had someone with me, and I knew the odds of running into anyone at the washroom in a mostly empty campground were crazy low. After that I slowly built more confidence as my hair grew and I got better at presenting femme. I still get a little nervous because it's still not surprising if I get a dirty look, but it's always from an older white woman.

The worst reaction I've ever noticed was a woman who stopped dead in her tracks as I came out of a stall and stared daggers at me until I was out of sight. The best way to deal with them is just ignore them, but be ready to defend yourself if they start shit, be it verbally of physically because the chances of that shit happening are low, but never 0. Taking a friend is a really good way to break the ice on it.

After moving to a progressive city and starting to girl mode

In terms of public bathrooms, I think I avoided them altogether for a long while (probably longer than necessary tbh), until I got my legal paperwork done. Thought was, OK, now I'm definitely allowed in here, so if someone takes issue, I'm on the safe side.

(Noone has ever taken issue.)

That was 2018, I think (?). Couple of weeks ago I was on an extended trip to Japan, and my GF convinced me it'd be no problem to go to the hotel Onsen. And indeed, it wasn't 🤷🏼‍♀️ Still took overcoming a fair bit of panic, but just like back then, there were zero issues.

Depends on where you are and of it's safe. I live in a mostly safe city in the US, but the extremist propaganda from our federal government administration labeling us terrorists, sexual assaulters, and child abusers has made it risky everywhere.

However, I started using them pretty much as soon as I started presenting as femme, but I still years later and after having bottom surgery, tend to avoid using public facilities at all just in case. And only use it if it feels safe or is urgent and I have no choice. But I also do not use men's facilities at all as that would just feel way too wrong, so I just avoid any most times.

But that's me. I don't feel like I pass even with makeup, so it's relatively obvious I'm trans. I might feel more comfortable if I can ever get FFS, but there will always be stuff that gives it away. And considering the authoritarians are still assaulting cis-women who "look like a man" in this country, I'm not sure it will ever be totally safe.

So it's a risk game. If you feel safe, then do it.

Never in all my three years of transitioning (which is still apparently baby trans) :/

The first few times going to the womens bathroom were when I was at Restaurants with friends and dressing femme. It would have fehlt weird to go to the mens bathroom, so I waited until one of my girl firends needed to go and asked if I could come along, so I wouldn't have to go alone. After doing this a few times and nothing bad happend it just became normal and I just stopped thinking about it.