Recently, WDAZ News did a piece about Target's bathroom policy. I was interviewed along with another member of the transgender community. I'm a 49-year-old transgender parent of three children.
Even though there has never been a documented case of a transgender person committing any crime it a public restroom, a stigma remains about the possible dangers.
I founded a group here in Grand Forks called Gender Friendly Grand Forks. It is dedicated to promoting bathroom safety for all, especially children.
We want the community to become more aware of us as people, how safe we are and what we do to monitor our own community against such dangers.
I have legally changed my gender from male to female. I have done this with the state of North Dakota, Social Security and the Internal Revenue Service. To achieve this, I had to first pass a psychiatric exam before I could even begin medical treatment and begin hormone therapy. I see a therapist on a regular basis, too.
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Only after showing that I could live as a woman 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, privately, publicly and at work, did I get approval from both my doctor and therapist to ask the state to change my gender from male to female.
This is a process that a sexual predator or pedophile would not be able to pass. It makes me one of the safest members of our community.
As a whole, our community is very safe, though we suffer from the highest rate of violence committed against us, and still the stigma remains that we are the danger.
I believe that we'll overcome this eventually, and I meet and talk with people on a daily basis about all of these concerns. By working together toward a common goal-the safety of all-we will become a better community.
Theresa Marshall
Grand Forks
