We, the undersigned sexual assault and domestic violence organizations, oppose antitransgender initiatives. These initiatives utilize and perpetuate the myth that protecting transgender people’s access to restrooms and locker rooms endangers the safety or privacy of others. As organizations that care about reducing assault and violence, we favor laws and policies that protect transgender people from discrimination, including in accessing facilities that match the gender they live every day.
States across the country have introduced harmful legislation or initiatives that seek to repeal non-discrimination protections or restrict transgender people’s access to genderspecific facilities like restrooms. Those who are pushing these proposals have claimed that these proposals are necessary for public safety and to prevent sexual violence against women and children. As rape crisis centers, shelters, and other service providers who work each and every day to meet the needs of all survivors and reduce sexual assault and domestic violence throughout society, we speak from experience and expertise when we state that these claims are false.
Nondiscrimination laws protecting transgender people have existed for a long time. Over 200 municipalities and 18 states have nondiscrimination laws protecting transgender people’s access to facilities consistent with the gender they live every day. In some cases, these protections have been in place for decades. These laws have protected people from discrimination without creating harm. None of those jurisdictions have seen a rise in sexual violence or other public safety issues due to nondiscrimination laws. Assaulting another person in a restroom or changing room remains against the law in every single state. We operate and advocate for rape crisis centers and shelters all over the country, including in cities and states with non-discrimination protections for transgender people. Those protections have not weakened public safety or criminal laws, nor have they compromised their enforcement.
Nondiscrimination laws do not allow men to go into women’s restrooms—period. The claim that allowing transgender people to use the facilities that match the gender they live every day allows men into women’s bathrooms or women into men’s is based either on a flawed understanding of what it means to be transgender or a misrepresentation of the law.
It may be hard to understand the experiences of transgender people, especially if you have never met a transgender person. We believe in respecting the identities of transgender people. Transgender people live in a society that often discriminates against them and makes it much harder for them to participate in the routines of daily life.
The efforts to ban transgender people from using public restrooms obscures the fact that all of us, including transgender people, are deeply concerned about safety and privacy in restrooms. Transgender people already experience unconscionably high rates of sexual assault—and forcing them out of facilities consistent with the gender they live every day makes them vulnerable to assault. As advocates committed to ending sexual assault and domestic violence of every kind, we will never support any law or policy that could put anyone at greater risk for assault or harassment. That is why we are able to strongly support transgender-inclusive nondiscrimination protections—and why we oppose any law that would jeopardize the safety of transgender people by forcing them into restrooms that do not align with the gender they live every day.
It is natural to be concerned about safety and privacy. As advocates and survivors, we know the threat of sexual assault is real and pervasive. Every time we hear of someone who speaks of their assault or abuse, we feel their pain. The safety fears that many have, especially those who are survivors, are not baseless or irrational, nor should they be dismissed. However, discriminating against transgender people does nothing to decrease the risk of sexual assault.
Discriminating against transgender people does not give anyone more control over their body or security. Those who perpetuate falsehoods about transgender people and nondiscrimination laws are putting transgender people in harm’s way and making no one safer. We cannot stand by while the needs of survivors, both those who are transgender and those who are not, are obscured in order to push a political agenda that does nothing to serve and protect victims and potential victims. We will only accomplish our goal of ending sexual violence by treating all people, including those who are transgender, with fairness and respect.
National Organizations
Alliance for Strong Families and Communities
American Association of University Women
American Dance Therapy Association
Asian Pacific Institute on Gender Based Violence
Battered Women's Justice Project
Break the Cycle
Center for Women Policy Studies
FaithTrust Institute
Futures Without Violence
Hollaback!
Just Detention International
Know Your IX
Legal Momentum
Men As Peacemakers
Men's Story Project
National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE)
National Alliance to End Sexual Violence
National Center for Victims of Crime
National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
National Council of Jewish Women
National Domestic Violence Hotline
National Housing Law Project
National Indigenous Women's Resource Center
National Latina@ Network: Casa de Esperanza
National Network to End Domestic Violence
National Organization for Men Against Sexism
National Organization for Women
National Organization of Asian Pacific Islanders Ending Sexual Violence
National Organization of Sisters of Color Ending Sexual Assault
National Organization for Victim Assistance
National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
National Women’s Law Center
Praxis International
Resource Sharing Project
Stop It Now!
Support Network of Advocates for Protective Parents
YWCA
State/Territorial and Local Organizations
Alabama
State
Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence (Montgomery)
AshaKiran, Inc. (Huntsville)
Alaska
State
YWCA Alaska (Anchorage)
Local
Sitkans Against Family Violence (Sitka)
Arizona
State
Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (Phoenix)
Chrysalis (Phoenix)
Local
Apache Behavioral Health Services, Inc. (Whiteriver)
California
State
California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (Sacramento)
California Partnership to End Domestic Violence (Sacramento)
Coalition for Family Harmony (Oxnard)
Local
A.M.E. Counseling Services (Los Angeles)
Alliance for Community Transformations (Mariposa)
Asian Women's Shelter (San Francisco)
Building Futures with Women and Children (San Leandro)
Center for Community Solutions (San Diego)
Family Service Agency of Burbank (Burbank)
Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles (Los Angeles)
Lassen Family Services, Inc. (Susanville)
Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice (Los Angeles)
Rural Human Services: Harrington House (Crescent City)
San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium (San Francisco)
Shepherd's Door Domestic Violence Resource Center (Pasadena)
STAND! For Families Free of Violence (Concord)
Strength United (Van Nuys)
Strong Hearted Native Women's Coalition, Inc. (Valley Center)
Walnut Avenue Family & Women's Center (Santa Cruz)
Colorado
State
Alliance Against Domestic Abuse (Salida)
Alternatives to Violence (Loveland)
Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence (Denver)
Deaf Overcoming Violence through Empowerment (Denver)
Domestic Violence Initiative (Denver)
Local
Advocate Safehouse Project (Glenwood Springs)
Advocates for Victims of Assault (Dillon)
Estes Valley Crisis Advocates (Estes Park)
Project Safeguard (Denver)
RESPONSE (Aspen)
SafeHouse Denver (Denver)
Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (Boulder)
Connecticut
State
Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence (East Hartford)
Local
Chrysalis (Meriden)
Delaware
State
Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence (Wilmington)
District of Columbia
DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence (Washington, DC)
DC Rape Crisis Center (Washington, DC)
Florida
State
Florida Council Against Sexual Violence (Tallahassee)
Florida NOW (Indialantic)
Local
Brevard NOW (Satellite Beach)
Greater Orlando NOW (Orlando)
Women's Center of Jacksonville (Jacksonville)
Georgia
State
Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence (Decatur)
Local
Northwest Georgia Family Crisis Center (Dalton)
Columbus Alliance for Battered Women, Inc. d/b/a Hope Harbour (Columbus)
Guam
Guam Coalition Against Sexual Assault & Family Violence (Hagatna)
Hawaii
State
The Sex Abuse Treatment Center (Honolulu)
Idaho
State
Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence (Boise)
Illinois
State
Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence (Springfield)
Illinois National Organization for Women (Springfield)
Local
Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women's Network (Chicago)
Connections for Abused Women and their Children (Chicago)
HOPE of Ogle County (Rochelle)
Mano a Mano Family Resource Center (Round Lake Park)
Mujeres Latinas en Accion (Chicago)
Rape Advocacy Counseling and Education Services (Urbana)
Rape Victim Advocates (Chicago)
Rockford Sexual Assault Counseling Inc. (Rockford)
Indiana
State
Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Inc. (Indianapolis)
Local
Alternatives Incorporated (Anderson)
Coburn Place Safe Haven (Indianapolis)
Council on Domestic Abuse, Inc. (Terre Haute)
Crisis Connection, Inc. (Jasper)
Domestic Violence Network (Indianapolis)
Middle Way House (Bloomington)
Rush County Victims Assistance, Inc. (Rushville)
Turning Point Domestic Violence Services (Columbus)
Iowa
State
Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence (Des Moines)
Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault (Des Moines)
Monsoon United Asian Women of Iowa (Des Moines)
Local
Crisis Intervention Services (Oskaloosa)
Domestic Violence Intervention Program (Iowa City)
Kansas
State
Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence (Topeka)
Louisiana
State
Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence (Baton Rouge)
Local
Faith House (Lafayette)
Metropolitan Center for Women and Children (Jefferson)
SAFE (Southeast Advocates for Family Empowerment) (Hammond)
Maine
State
Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault (Augusta)
Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence (Augusta)
Wabanaki Women's Coalition (Lincolnville)
Local
New Hope for Women (Rockland)
Safe Voices (Lewiston)
Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services (Lewiston)
Sexual Assault Services of Midcoast Maine (Brunswick)
Maryland
State
Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MCASA) (Silver Spring)
Maryland NOW (Silver Spring)
Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence (Lanham)
Local
HopeWorks of Howard County (Columbia)
Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse (Rockville)
Massachusetts
State
Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence (Boston)
Jane Doe Inc., the MA Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence (Boston)
Local
A Safe Place, Inc. (Nantucket)
Alternative House (Lowell)
Casa Myrna Vazquez (Boston)
DOVE, Inc. (Quincy)
Jewish Family & Children's Service (Waltham)
New Hope, Inc. (Attleboro)
REACH Beyond Domestic Violence (Waltham)
Transition House (Cambridge)
Minnesota
State
Sacred Hoop Coalition (Duluth)
Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women (St. Paul)
Local
Bluff Country Family Resources (Hokah)
Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center (Minneapolis)
Tubman (Twin Cities)
Missouri
State
Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (Jefferson City)
Missouri NOW (Columbia)
Montana
State
Adapt Montana (Missoula)
Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (Helena)
Nebraska
State
Nebraska Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence (Lincoln)
Local
Crisis Center (Grand Island)
Project Response, INC (Auburn)
Nevada
State
Nevada Network Against Domestic Violence (Reno)
Local
S.A.F.E. House (Henderson)
Safe Nest (Las Vegas)
Tahoe SAFE Alliance (Incline Village)
New Hampshire
State
New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (Concord)
Turning Points Network (Claremont)
YWCA NH (Manchester)
Local
New Beginnings - Without Violence & Abuse (Laconia)
New Jersey
State
New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault (Lawrenceville)
Local
YWCA Union County (Elizabeth)
New Mexico
State
New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NMCADV) (Santa Fe)
Local
Community Against Violence, Inc. (CAV) (Taos)
New York
State
Day ONE (New York City)
New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (Albany)
New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault (Albany)
Local
Advocacy Center of Tompkins County (Ithaca)
CONNECT (New York City)
Crime Victim and Sexual Violence Center (Albany)
Delaware Opportunities Safe Against Violence (Hamden)
Erie County Coalition Against Family Violence (Buffalo)
First Step Victim Services at Catholic Charities of Chemung/Schuyler Counties (Watkins Glen)
Hope’s Door (Pleasantville)
My Sisters' Place (White Plains)
Safe Homes of Orange County (Newburgh)
Safe Horizon (New York City)
Suicide Prevention and Crisis Service, Inc. (Crisis Services) (Buffalo)
The Family Counseling Center (Gloversville)
The Safe Center LI, Inc. (Bethpage)
Vera House, Inc. (Syracuse)
VIBS (Islandia)
Victims Assistance Center of Jefferson County (Watertown)
Violence Intervention Program, Inc. (New York)
Willow Domestic Violence Center (Rochester)
YWCA of the Niagara Frontier (Lockport, Niagara Falls and North Tonawanda)
North Carolina
State
North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence (Durham)
North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault (Raleigh)
North Carolina Women United (Raleigh)
Local
Families First Inc. (Whiteville)
Family Services of Davidson County (Lexington)
Help, Incorporated: Center Against Violence (Reidsville)
Ohio
State
ACTION OHIO Coalition For Battered Women (Columbus)
Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence (Cleveland)
Local
Domestic Violence & Child Advocacy Center (Cleveland)
Oklahoma
State
Native Alliance Against Violence (Norman)
Local
Ponca Tribe Domestic Violence Program (Ponca City)
Oregon
State
Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (Portland)
Local
Bradley Angle (Portland)
Lake County Crisis Center (Lakeview)
Safe Harbors (Enterprise)
Sexual Assault Resource Center (Beaverton)
Southern Oregon University Women's Resource Center (Ashland)
Pennsylvania
State
Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (Harrisburg)
Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (Enola)
Local
Abuse & Rape Crisis Center (Towanda)
Alle-Kiski Area HOPE Center, Inc. (Tarentum)
Berks Women in Crisis (Reading)
Blackburn Center Against Domestic & Sexual Violence (Greensburg)
Clinton County Women's Center (Lock Haven)
Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc. (Philadelphia)
Crime Victims Council of the Lehigh Valley, Inc. (Allentown)
Crisis Center North (Pittsburgh)
HAVIN (Helping All Victims in Need) (Kittanning)
SafeNet (Erie)
Schuylkill Women in Crisis (Pottsville)
SWPA National Organization For Women (NOW) (Beaver)
The Abuse Network, Inc. (Lewistown)
The Women's Center, Inc. of Columbia/Montour Counties (Bloomsburg)
Transitions of PA (Lewisburg)
Turning Point of Lehigh Valley, Inc. (Allentown)
Victim Outreach Intervention Center (VOICe) (Butler)
Victims' Intervention Program (Honesdale)
Women In Transition (Philadelphia)
Women's Resource Center (Scranton)
Women's Resources of Monroe County, Inc. (Delaware Water Gap)
Women's Services, Inc. (Meadville)
YWCA Lancaster (Lancaster)
YWCA Northcentral PA (Williamsport)
Rhode Island
State
Day One (Providence)
South Carolina
State
National Assn. of Social Workers, SC Chapter (Columbia)
South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (Columbia)
Local
Family Justice Center of Georgetown and Horry Counties (Georgetown)
People Against Rape (Charleston)
Pickens County Advocacy Center (Easley)
SAFE Homes-Rape Crisis Coalition (Spartanburg)
Texas
State
The Texas Council on Family Violence (Austin)
Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (Austin)
Local
Cross Timbers Family Services (Stephenville)
Freedom House (Weatherford)
Houston Area Women's Center (Houston)
The Crisis Center (Odessa)
The Family Place (Dallas)
U.S. Virgin Islands
Women's Coalition of St. Croix (St. Croix)
Vermont
State
Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (Montpelier)
Local
AWARE, Inc. (Hardwick)
CVOEO/Voices Against Violence (St. Albans)
Project Against Violent Encounters (Bennington)
Sexual Assault Crisis Team (Barre)
Women Helping Battered Women (Burlington)
WomenSafe (Middlebury)
Virginia
State
True Help Organization (Reston)
Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance (Richmond)
Local
Empowerhouse (Fredericksburg)
Washington
State
API Chaya (Seattle)
Crisis Support Network (Raymond)
Legal Voice (Seattle)
Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs (Olympia)
Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WSCADV) (Seattle)
Washington State NOW (Olympia)
Local
Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse, Inc. (Pullman)
Asian Counseling and Referral Service (Seattle)
Coalition Ending Gender-Based Violence (Seattle)
DAWN (Kent)
Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County (Everett)
Emergency Support Shelter (Longview)
Forks Abuse Program (Forks)
Jewish Family Service (Seattle)
Seattle NOW (Brier)
New Beginnings (Seattle)
Programs for Peaceful Living (Bingen)
SafePlace (Olympia)
The DoVE Project (Vashon)
YWCA Clark County (Vancouver)
YWCA Olympia (Olympia)
YWCA Pierce County (Tacoma)
YWCA Seattle|King|Snohomish (Seattle)
YWCA Yakima (Yakima)
West Virginia
State
West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence (Elkview)
Wisconsin
State
End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin (Madison)
Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault (WCASA) (Madison)
Local
People Against Domestic & Sexual Abuse (Jefferson)
Rainbow House Domestic Abuse Services, Inc. (Marinette)
The Bridge to Hope (Menomonie)
Wyoming
State
Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (Laramie)