王芳

Years ago， I went shopping for clothes with a friend and her mother. After trying on a few items， I walked out of the dressing room to find them waiting for me， laden with clothes， ready to check out.

“Arent you going to try any of them on first？” I asked.

“We dont do that，” my friend said. “Well try them on at home and return the ones we dont want. Were not comfortable doing it at the store.”

I was surprised. It was a nice enough store， and the ladies dressing rooms were on the other side of the building from the mens. But these two women were not about to remove their clothing in public， even with the partition1） walls and locking doors.

Theres a long history of women feeling ill at ease when expected to perform a private act in a public space， and this history is worth considering as the national debate rages over transgender2） individuals and bathroom laws. Comfort， privacy， and fear all played a part in creating our sex-segregated bathroom system， and will continue to influence whatever system we create going forward.

For Men Only

It took a really long time to convince women to pee in public. Mostly because， before the mid-1800s， the only public toilets were called “the street” and they were used almost exclusively by men. When ladies did go out， they didnt dawdle. There was nothing to linger for， really， outside of church or some other community meeting. Shopping wasnt fun. You handed the dry goods3） man your list of needed muslins and salt， he packed it up for you， and you headed home. If you had to go potty4）， you either held it， or found a nice grove of bushes or trees to relieve yourself， miles from anywhere public.

America was a nation of “Restrooms for customers ONLY！” And by restrooms， they meant holes dug in the ground to poop in. Saloons usually had privies5） out back， but ladies werent allowed in saloons. There were a handful of other “public” latrines6）， but they were usually built and maintained by local businesses solely to keep people from befouling7） their buildings.

Not Even with Mahogany Seats

In 1851， London held an enormous public fair called The Great Exhibition， where nations from all over the world displayed inventions and innovations. It was here that a plumber named George Jennings showed the world just how civilized public “retiring rooms” could be， even for ladies.

In Jennings exhibit， a woman first entered a reception area and paid a penny to view the loo8）. Then she entered into the lavatory9） and was greeted by a row of sinks， much like in todays bathrooms. A matron took the ticket， answered any questions， and kept things tidy. Beyond the lavatory was a row of lovely toilets known as “closet rooms.” They came with mahogany seats and seven-foot-high， floor-length partitions.

The exhibition was a hit. Thousands of women bought tickets to see these fancy new public toilets， to pull the cistern10） chain and watch the bowl be flushed clean by a crash of water. But there isnt any proof that the ladies used the toilets in their intended fashion. Because when Jennings later tried to take his retiring rooms mainstream， he failed. Women were curious about the concept， but not curious enough to relieve themselves in public just yet. They still felt vulnerable in these stalls. Naked， indecent， unsafe. Anyone who saw you entering the room would be free to imagine in great detail what you were doing in there， which was humiliating in an era where women were told that it was better to soil their skirts in mud than lift them and allow strangers to gawk11） at their shins. Womens bathrooms were not popular because society wasnt ready to accept them.

Indeed， we wouldnt be ready for the ladies room until it was absolutely necessary.

The Shopping Fad

By the beginning of the 20th century， ladies rooms were plentiful. But it wasnt that suddenly everyone became “tolerant” of the fact that women had digestive tracts. The entirety of the Industrial Revolution was called into play to make ladies rooms possible. More women were working， which familiarized society with the sight of decent women outside the home. But the real change occurred when women， for the first time in history， began to enjoy shopping.

Factories were producing more leisure goods—beautiful fabrics and confectioneries12） and stationary supplies—which drew a more wealthy class of women out of their homes. They wanted to shop， to perambulate13）， perhaps visit all the new parks that were springing up， or even go to a museum. The outside world， which had been pretty much a men-only cesspit14） （literally） was now a place a lady felt welcomed to enter.

Women left the home and hit the street， but they certainly werent about to pee in it. So， to attract the female money-spender， private businesses and even whole cities began building comfortable， secure areas where a woman could “retire.”

Thats not to say there werent agitators and campaigners who had no financial gains in mind. Institutions like the Ladies Sanitary Association were there， making noise. But it does seem that their message became easier to hear once it was harmonious with the sounds of cash registers.

The salient15） point is that it took decades for female bathrooms to become standard. Millions of people who might have been scandalized by women peeing in public had to be replaced by people who had never known anything else. It was those new women who agitated for change， and who felt comfortable doing something their grandmothers simply did not.

The Inherent Misery of Pioneering

So where does that leave the transgender woman who would much rather endure the dirty looks of the ladies room than the potential fists of the mens room？ In a brutally unfair position， unfortunately. They are pioneers， and pioneers have never had an easy time of it. They live in a society that hasnt yet grown to accommodate them， just as ladies bathrooms once didnt exist because society wasnt ready for women to pee in public. It sounds ridiculous， but thats how it is.

But it wont always be like this. The old ways die off， and new ideas spread to fit peoples needs.

If there is one thing history has shown it is that you cannot force the majority to embrace your ideals overnight. Change is all about patience. Having to wait for justice is intolerable， but absolutely unavoidable， as shown by the slow ascension of every minority and marginalized group to ever achieve equality. Like every outsider population that came before， there may be decades of battling， waiting， and great tribulation16） before society is ready. That isnt the work of evil people. Its the rhythm of the human species.

从无到有启示录

随着社会文明程度的提高，公共场所的基本设施变得越来越方便、越来越人性化，女卫生间就是其一。看到现在干净卫生的女卫生间，你可能想象不到，在20世纪以前，公共场所几乎没有女卫生间。那么，女卫生间从无到有，期间经历了怎样的变化和发展？让我们一同来了解它的发展史。

几年前，我和一个朋友还有她妈妈一起去买衣服。试了几款衣服后，我走出试衣间，看到她们正在等我，手里拿着很多衣服，准备去结账。

“你们不先试试吗？”我问。

“不试了，”我朋友说，“我们回家试，不想要的我们再退回来。在商店里试衣服，我们觉得别扭。”

我大为震惊。这是一家足够上档次的商场，女试衣间和男试衣间分别在商场的两头。但这两个女人却不打算在公众场合脱衣服，即使有墙隔开，门可以反锁。

女性在公众场合有私密行为时，总是感觉不自在，这种现象历史悠久。随着围绕变性人和厕所规则的全国性辩论愈演愈烈，这一段历史值得回顾。在促使男女隔离的厕所制度产生的过程中，舒适、隐私和恐惧都在其中起到了作用，而且会继续影响我们今后制定的任何制度。

仅有男厕

说服女性在公共场所小便真的花费了很长时间。主要是因为19世纪中期以前，唯一的公厕叫作“街道”，几乎仅供男性使用。女性真的外出时，从不闲逛。其实除了教堂或一些社区聚会外，也没有什么可以流连的。购物毫无趣味。你把单子递给店员，上面列出了你所需要的布料和食盐，他为你打包，你上路回家。……