Rumi Clinton

Where Do I Go?
stainless steel, Bristol paper, inkjet printer ink – 6 x 10 in.

The public bathroom straddles the line between public and private space. In recent months it has become the subject of political controversy. For the conservatives creating this havoc, this bathroom discomfort is ultimately about a paternalistic view of sex and gender. Out of this comes the fear of young women being around penises and therefore an inability to use the bathroom safely. For me and for many of the people I know, it’s about needing to use the goddamn bathroom (and using it safely).

On a personal level, it is a difficult space. I do not question what bathroom I belong in, but I have often questioned my right to be there because of how I am perceived. As a transmasculine woman in a public bathroom I overthink. I look to others as I walk in to confirm that I have been recognized as a woman. I chose to use a condom dispenser, something available in restrooms, as a means to dispense my personal story in the larger political context of the public restroom.