I personally think it would be in the best interest of this person to use the "ladies room". I don't think this person poses any threat to females but if a person dressed as woman enters a men's rest room... all hell will break loose.

.. to psychiatric evaluation.

the mens ' an then to the nutz house'

I think this person should go to the men's washroom, personally. You did say "male anatomy".

there was an actual law or permisison or something legal passing the fact that in a high school, a man dressed as a woman could go to the womens restroom. i dont remember where i heard that, but jfyi

He's a man. The clothes he wears, and the way he lives doesn't change that. He goes to the males bathroom.

I don't see that it matters that much. Most women's restrooms have individual, private stalls where most men's restrooms are pretty much in the open. A man dressed as a female in the men's room would probably cause a bit of discomfort to all and especially "her"....where in a women's room it would probably go pretty much unnoticed. Either way...it's a bathroom, people have to go, they should be able to go in comfort. I have shared a bathroom with a cross dresser/drag queen/female impersonator..whatever you want to call it..he/she was very nice and I enjoyed talking to her while we tidied our hair. She even rearranged mine a bit and it looked much better. :-)

To the job market. Time for a new gig.

If it's someone that lives completely as a woman, then I have no problem with her using my bathroom. But she has to sit.

I don't know much about transsexuals but my opinion is if they feel, act & live as a woman, they should without a doubt be able to use the womens room & vice versa for ftm's. The only problem I have with mtf's is that they are gorgeous & there's too much competion for me out there already, LOL

I think she has to go the men's bathroom.

Sticky, because if she was made to go to the womans' toilet, the other women might get pissed off or he may be considered a 'freak' for dressing up to get into the womens toilet. But if she was made to go to the mens toilet, chances are, she'd get teased to some extent. Don't know.

This is ridiculous that they are making her go to the men's bathroom. Your workplace is putting her in danger of assault and ridicule, which is not a healthy work environment for any coworker, even if they aren't involved. I don't see the big deal... they should just let her go to the women's bathroom. They have stalls anyways so there's more privacy for her to do what she needs to do and she doesn't have to deal with being known as a man constantly by walking through the "men's" door.

I wouldn't see any reason why she shouldn't use the women's bathroom. Or any reason why it need be a work issue

Unfortunately ADA doesn't recognise transgenderism as a disability so employers don't HAVE to make reasonable accommodations, but workplace harrassment issues still apply. If the men bother her in the men's room and women don't want her in the ladies room, a separate facility should be provided for her.

First, if this person, "she", lives "her" life as a woman, "she" is not a "crossdresser"...she is a transsexual/transgendered "woman" and should utilize the womens restrooms...anywhere.

Unfortunately, without some counceling/therapy, there is little she can do to defend her "position". With therapy, she can be "diagnosed", once diagnosed, then living as a woman fulltime, changing her name legally etc., is all considered part of her "treatment plan", and the therapist can provide paperwork when ever necessary. The fact that she has not, and may not ever change her "anatomy" doesn't necessarily mean she can't still live as a woman, under better circumstances than she has now. Many TS women don't, or even "can't" have the genital surgery for health or other reasons beyond their control, even when they DO want to have it. So thats not the "kicker". I am still "pre-operative" myself, but I have completed my therapy stage, and will soon begin hormone therapy, by recommendation of my therapist, which another part of the "treatment" plan. I am also undergoing electrolysis treatment on my face, and I won't even begin living fulltime as a woman until that is done. I don't know, but i feel that maybe your friend has done what many TS women do, loose patience, and jump into living fulltime too quickly. If this person IS your friend, please talk to her and try to convince her to seek a therapist. There are many online resources that can help her find one in your area...I can do what i can to help too if she needs me. One other thing, even IF she were to have surgery, most states still will not allow one to change their birth certificates from male to female...mine won't, I am in South Carolina. Please let me know if there is anything I can do. Jessi

"She" should be going into the men's bathroom. "She" might be a female in "her" head but, outside nothing has changed.

A man, no matter what he wears or how long his hair is, is still a man and should go to the bathroom in the mens room.

A 'crossdresser' is NOT the same as a true transsexual. Therefore, they should use their own bathrooms. Personally, I prefer that crossdressers stay at home. I don't want to see you out and about. You people give a bad name to true transsexuals and make life more difficult for them than it already is. Either go before you leave, or better yet, stay home. But, stay OUT of the opposite sex bathrooms. You are NOT females. Why do you think you have the right to use the women's bathroom- because you're wearing a skirt or whatever? Clothing does not make you a woman. Neither does a bad make-up job. Nor a fake looking wig. Nor does your 5" heels do it either. You are men, and you will never be a women. Like it, or not. If it comes down to it, use the handicapped bathroom.

When I was in transition (living as a woman) the company where I worked was very supportive of me and they let me have my own bathroom; they also mad everyone take diversity training before they would let me come to work that way; it was a little one that they had in the building already on another floor, or sometimes I would continue to just use the men's because it was closer. HR was of the opinion that I shouldn't be using either the men's or the women's. In the state of Florida it is illegal to use the women's restroom if you still have a penis so in most public places I still had to use the men's room everywhere or risk being arrested, but nothing ever happened to me in a men's room. Some old codger said, "Hey miss that's the mens room." but even that only happened one time. In the gay bars here anyone can get away with using the women's bathroom, but the women's bathrooms in the gay bars are used by a lot of regular gay men anyway.

LIke the old duck saying, If she presents her self as a woman then she is a woman, gentalia alone does not define gender.

she should be able to use a safe bathroom to suit her needs. i don´t think anyone should be forced to use a bathroom they don´t feel comfortable using and its not really anyones business.

It seems to me if she's living her life as a woman, she and everyone else would be most comfortable if she used the women's bathroom.

Is she lives her life as a woman she's not a "Cross-dresser" she's a transsexual. I've always been torn by this, mostly just figuring out how they decide because I have seen both, going to the female washroom and the male. I think, if she lives as a woman, she should be allowed to use the ladies washroom like a woman.

Personally, I don't understand the fuss. It's not like we're talking about a locker room where people will be getting undressed in front of each other -- which may present some challenges, I suppose. All of the 'business' in the womens room takes place in a closed stall anyway, right? And in mens rooms in Europe it's quite common to have a female attendant standing in the room handing out soaps and towels -- and expecting a tip -- so I'd laugh out loud at an American man who was too shy to use a mens room "because someone in there looked like a woman".

I say the women's room. Unless someone's personally seen her hanging bits.

ladies room. If she lives her life as a woman she should be able to use the ladies restroom.

She is transgender, not a cross dresser. And if she identifies as female, she should go to the women's restroom.

I've never truly understood why the restrooms are gender-segregated, and no one person has ever been able to tell my why it's necessary in today's world. In response, though, I think that if she lives as a woman, what reason is there for not allowing her to go in the women's restroom? I think she should be allowed.

she is a woman full time, that includes using the ladies room, using the men's room defeats the whole purpose for the Real Life Experience and will most likely get her killed sooner or later. she needs to see a therapist and find new employment where they do not discriminate against gender identity. you can search most fortune 500 companies on the internet, tell her to stay away from retail, it is very very bad for transgender people.

To then men's bathroom... in the psychiatric ward. If he looked like a man but still insisted he were a dog, demanding to be naked all the time (save for a collar) and be allowed to publicly urinate on fire hydrants, you'd think the same thing.

Lots of thoughtful answers here, but I haven't run across any mention about the responsibilities of the employer. In this day and age, things have (mostly quietly) changed rapidly over the past 50 years in the field of minority rights - and this person probably has more rights than she is aware of. If the employer is too ignorant or in full opposition or just plain too slow to take action, there is usually legal recourse, you just have to ask around. (If she's too shy, give her a couple of hefty pushes in the right direction!) Yes, this individual's personal safety is probably in more danger from the reaction of males than from females since our society coddles the macho male attitudes and because a (vast?) majority of our females tend to have less of a "hair trigger" on their temper and at least go along for awhile with "wait and see" as to how changes work out.