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A transgender teenager has told Somerset Live of his daily struggle to simply find a public toilet he can use.

Charlie Scarterfield, 17, who has lived in Bath all his life, has made the transition from female to male.

And, as such, he is often torn between using the men's or women’s toilets.

Despite having long come to terms with his gender identity, it is other people’s perceptions that make him uneasy.

He said: “Most people take using public toilets for granted but being transgender it’s one of the hardest parts of my day.

“When I’m out in public I have gone the whole day without going to the toilet because I have had bad experiences with both female and male toilets.

(Image: Artur Lesniak)

BANES Council has clarified that transgender people are legally allowed to use bathrooms in line with their gender rather than gender assignment at birth and that toilets in parks and public spaces are unisex.

It also says that transgender people can choose to use accessible toilets which are all gender neutral.

Despite this, Charlie claims other toilet users make him feel unwelcome, regardless of what choice he makes.

He said: “I go into the men’s toilets and you just get really odd looks. They just know I am biologically a girl.

(Image: paulgillisphoto.com)

“So I go into the girl’s toilets and I get dirty looks saying ‘why is there a boy here?’

“It’s just so hard, I try and use disabled toilets when I can, but you get looks then too.”

It’s not just public bathrooms where Charlie experiences problems, but all gender divided spaces.

He said: “It’s the same with changing rooms. I’ve walked into the men’s and they say ‘excuse me you need to get out.’ But it’s the same with the girl’s.”

“You literally can’t win.”

Charlie’s loved ones witness the daily challenge.

His mother, Anna, said: “Charlie has really struggled looking like a boy, but not necessarily wanting to go into the man’s toilets.

“At college, Charlie would go to coffee shops with unisex toilets rather than face the male or female toilets as he didn’t feel comfortable going into either.

“When out in public he often asks me to go to the ladies with him.

“There are a few unisex toilets about, but I think that’s something that needs to be more prevalent.”

(Image: paulgillisphoto.com)

Charlie turns 18 in a week’s time but he takes with him a problem he’s faced since the start of high school into adulthood.

He explained: “When I started in year 7 I knew I didn’t fit in with the girls and I dressed like a boy with short hair.

“That’s when all the bullying started. It was horrible. They would call me manmonster; trip me up in the corridors; and not let me go in the boy’s toilets or the girl’s toilets.”

Although Charlie hopes people will become more accepting over time, he says unisex toilets are the solution.

He said: “Seeing attitudes change would be great, however, unisex toilets would mean so much to people who are transgender, because we then don’t have to worry about passing for female or male, we can just be ourselves and use the toilet without thinking about it like everyone else.”

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