Aimee Toms

While washing her hands in a Connecticut Walmart bathroom, a woman named Aimee Toms, 22, was harassed by another customer who said:

“You’re disgusting!” “You don’t belong here!”

Toms replied, “Oh, yes I do!” She soon figured out the woman’s outburst had to do with new state laws like the North Carolina’s HB2 (Hate Bill) that disallows transgender people to use the public restroom that aligns with their own gender identity.

Aimee Toms has a short haircut. She said she has a short haircut because because she donates her hair to a program that uses the hair to create wigs for child cancer patients. But it shouldn’t matter why anyone has short hair. This was a clear case of ugly, hateful discrimination and a result of Republican extremist lawmakers like Governor Pat McCrory. Toms adds:

“I’ve had people call me all sorts of names for having short hair. I’ve had people call me a boy, I’ve had people call me a dyke, I’ve had people call me gay.” Toms said. “I’m grateful that that woman only called me disgusting and didn’t physically attack me … I was a victim of transphobia today as a cisgender female because my hair is short.”

When she got home, Toms posted about her experience on Facebook. She says after experiencing the hatred, she can’t imagine the discrimination transgender people must face during their lives, on a daily basis.

“Can you imagine going out every day and having people tell you should not be who you are or that people will not accept you as who you are?”