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Do recent “bathroom bills” protect girls and women from sexual predators? Sociologist C. Ray Borck shows how—contrary to popular belief—gender-segregated public restrooms do not keep girls and women safe from violence. Public restrooms play an important role in public health, especially in urban contexts, and should be available and safe for all people regardless of gender identity or expression.

The national conversation in the US about whether or not transgender and gender-nonconforming (henceforth “trans*”) people should be legally and de facto permitted to use public restrooms began on May 28, 2014, when Houston City Council voted to enact the Houston Equal-Rights Ordinance (HERO), banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, and family, marital, and military status …