The Issue

On November 9, 2017, a Wisconsin woman – a sexual assault survivor herself – attended an event hosted by a local rape crisis center at the Majestic Theater in Madison, during which women shared their personal experiences about rape and sexual assault. When the woman went to the restroom, she was faced with make-shift paper signs – taped over the usual Men and Women signs – which read,

“GENDER NEUTRAL RESTROOM ANYONE MAY USE THIS RESTROOM REGARDLESS OF GENDER IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION.”

She turned to her state’s Equal Rights Division with a grievance on the basis of sex discrimination, but her complaint was dismissed. She is appealing that decision.

What You Can Do

Contact the Equal Rights Division, the rape crisis center, the Majestic, and local media. Tell them why so-called “gender neutral” restrooms violate the civil rights of women and girls under Wisconsin law. Demand that local media outlets cover this case, including perspectives that are critical of “gender identity” ideology (contact information below).

Email Script

To Whom It May Concern,

This letter is to the Equal Rights Division of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, the Rape Crisis Center of Madison, the Majestic Theater, and members of the local media.

It has come to my attention that, on November 9, 2017, a Wisconsin woman – a sexual assault survivor – attended an event hosted by a local rape crisis center at the Majestic Theater in Madison, during which women shared their personal experiences about rape and sexual assault. When the woman went to the restroom, she was faced with make-shift paper signs – taped over the usual Men and Women signs – which read,

“GENDER NEUTRAL RESTROOM ANYONE MAY USE THIS RESTROOM REGARDLESS OF GENDER IDENTITY OR EXPRESSION.”

She turned to her state’s Equal Rights Division with a grievance on the basis of sex discrimination, but her complaint was dismissed. She is appealing that decision. ERD Case No: CR201800365.

According to Wisconsin law, “no person may deny to another … the full and equal enjoyment of any public place of accommodation … because of sex, race, color, creed, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, or ancestry. WISC. STAT. §106.52(3)(a)(1). A “public place of accommodation” is defined broadly to include places of business, including restaurants and taverns. WISC. STAT. §106.52(2)(e)(1). There is no question that the Majestic constitutes a public place of accommodation. Also, Black’s Law Dictionary defines the word “sex” to mean “the distinction between male and female.” Accordingly, denying this woman the right to a female-only restroom constituted a denial of her full and equal enjoyment of a public place of accommodation under Wisconsin law.

Women fought hard for the right to women’s restrooms, and are still fighting in many parts of the world. Creating access to restrooms on the basis of “gender identity” allows males to use any restroom that they want to, in complete disregard for women’s rights to privacy.

Human beings are sexually dimorphic mammals. This statement is neither conservative nor bigoted. It is simply an assertion grounded in material reality. In light of the specifics of this case, I would also note that when a woman is raped, it is her body that is attacked, not some internalized concept of “gender identity.”

I am calling on the Equal Rights Division to overturn the decision below and find that refusing to provide female-only restrooms violates Wisconsin’s Public Accommodations and Amusements Law Section 106.52.

I am calling on the Rape Crisis Center and the Majestic Theater to stop papering over sex-specific restroom signs with signs that invite people to use the restroom on the basis of self-declared “gender identity.”

I am calling on members of the local and statewide media to cover this issue, and to do so in a way that fairly represents the full spectrum of views on “gender identity” ideology.

Thank you and sincerely,

[YOUR NAME OR “A CONCERNED RESIDENT”]

Targets

Copy and paste this email string into an email message to send to all of the targets:

erinfo@dwd.wisconsin.gov, info@theRCC.org, info@majestic-live.com, wsjcity@madison.com, isthmus@isthmus.com, amy.schwabe@jrn.com, rzizzo@gannett.com, gary.johnson@ecpc.com, dlaporte@ashlanddailypress.net

Or email each of the targets individually:

Equal Rights Division

erinfo@dwd.wisconsin.gov

Rape Crisis Center

info@theRCC.org

Majestic Theater

info@majestic-live.com

Wisconsin State Journal

Madison City Desk

wsjcity@madison.com

Isthmus

isthmus@isthmus.com

Amy Schwabe

Editor

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

amy.schwabe@jrn.com

Robert Zizzo

News Editor

Green Bay Press Gazette

rzizzo@gannett.com

Gary Johnson

Editor

Eau Clair Leader-Telegram

gary.johnson@ecpc.com

David LaPort

General Manager

Ashland Daily Press

dlaporte@ashlanddailypress.net