Like most people who consume almost a litre of soft drink while seeing a movie at the cinema, I really need to pee.

After tossing up whether I can somehow wait until I get home, I decide that I'll try and brave using the cinema toilets.

A familiar, prickly feeling of anxiety grows as I try to decide which bathroom I'll fit in to most. In a moment of panic, I rush into the women's and beeline for the nearest stall.

Now I just have to make my exit without encountering anyone else.

After 10 minutes waiting in the stall, listening for other people, I decide the coast is clear. Predictably, however, as I'm at the sink, someone enters and stares at me, clearly puzzled.

A part of me is happy that I look masculine enough to confuse people, but mostly I feel deeply uncomfortable, and humiliated by how much attention I'm drawing to myself.

I feel like I've betrayed myself, once again, by not feeling able to do something so simple as use the men's toilet.

I identify as non-binary (or more specifically, trans-masculine), meaning that although I was assigned female at birth, I have never identified as a girl.

Whilst I dress in typically "masculine" clothing and wear a chest binder, I haven't undergone hormone replacement therapy and often get mis-gendered, or mistaken for a girl.

This can make using a public bathroom extremely difficult, as I'm faced with a choice: mis-gender myself and feel like I'm betraying my identity, or feel like I don't quite belong and feel physically unsafe.

We just want to go to the toilet

I'm not the only one who grapples with this problem. Many trans people feel uncomfortable and unsafe using public toilets.

The threat of violence against trans people using the right bathroom is very real, particularly for trans women.

One study, conducted by researchers at UCLA's Williams Institute, found that 70 per cent of trans participants had experienced some form of verbal harassment or physical assault when accessing gender-segregated public toilets.

Many trans people feel uncomfortable and unsafe using public toilets, says Rory Blundell. ( Tumblr.com )

Many of my trans friends have experienced this violence firsthand; some have been told by strangers that they don't belong in the bathroom they're in, threatened with violence or legal action, and been called names.

Misconceptions — often spread by the media — about the validity of our identities, whether we should be afforded our basic rights to be ourselves, and even about our intentions when using the correct bathroom, only add to this threat.

These misconceptions have seen several states in the US adopt laws that restrict trans people from using the bathrooms that reflect their gender identity under the guise of protecting the public from "sexual predators".

But such laws rely on transphobic assumptions, including that trans people are just "pretending" to be trans in order to access spaces, and that trans people are sexual predators.

Not only is there no evidence to support these claims, these myths often justify transphobic abuse and violence against trans people.

Bathroom anxiety at school

This discussion around transgender people's rights has become especially relevant in schools.

Many schools don't know how to support trans and gender diverse students and in some cases, won't allow them to wear the uniform that feels right for them or let them use the toilet they want to use.

Being unable to use the right bathroom can lead to instances where young people do not use the toilet at all whilst at school.

Aside from having numerous negative physical health implications, this can also impact on young people's mental health and wellbeing.

Trans and gender diverse young people are one of the most vulnerable demographics for suicide in Australia and this is directly linked to the discrimination we face.

A lot of trans young people I know have either moved schools or dropped out of school completely as a result of their school being unsupportive of their needs.

Some Australian states have recently implemented policies that allow trans and gender diverse students to use the toilet they feel best fits their gender identity.

But being inclusive of trans people shouldn't stop at the school gates.

The push for bathroom inclusivity in Australia

Providing gender-neutral toilet options in public places can be as simple as re-labelling existing toilets, or installing single-stalled toilet options without gendered signage.

Is there really any need, in 2017, for public bathrooms to be completely gender segregated? ( Reuters: Jonathan Drake )

Is there really any need, in 2017, for public bathrooms to be completely gender segregated?

While gender-neutral toilets are still relatively uncommon, there is a growing push in Australia for bathroom inclusivity by LGBTI+ rights groups and organisations.

Many Australian universities have either committed to re-labelling already built single-stalled bathrooms as gender-neutral, or are in the process of building gender-neutral toilets.

Meanwhile, GenderQueer Australia have designed a 'gender-neutral' toilet locator app, called Toilart, to make them easier to find.

Of course, there are women (including trans women) who require women's-only spaces for cultural and safety reasons.

However, the need for women's-only spaces doesn't negate the use and inclusivity of gender-neutral bathrooms at all, particularly if gender-neutral toilets are single-stalled.

I can't even describe how relieved I feel when a cinema, cafe, library, train station or other public space has a gender-neutral toilet on offer.

It makes me feel like I don't have to put my mental and physical safety at risk, it makes me feel respected, and it makes me feel like I don't have to make a political statement just by using the bathroom.

Rory is a trans-masculine young person who works to improve understanding and inclusion of LGBTI+ people in society. He currently works for Minus18 and is also studying Criminology at Melbourne University. Rory was recently named as one of the top 25 LGBTI people to watch in 2017.