A trans woman, Marcy Rheintgen, was arrested by Florida Capitol police after she used she used a women’s bathroom to wash her hands.
Marcy Rheintgen, a 20-year-old Illinois resident, was arrested by police for trespassing after she made state officials aware that she planned to use the facilities in protest of a 2023 law which bans trans women from using female bathrooms.
The bill – HB 1521, also known as the Facility Requirements Based on Sex bill – makes it a misdemeanour trespassing offence for someone to use single-sex spaces such as toilets or changing rooms that do not align with their biological sex at birth.
Marcy Rheintgen’s arrest is believed to be the first under the anti-trans legislation.
According to reporting by the Miami Herald, the 20-year-old sent letters to officials informing them that she was going to use a specific toilet in the Capitol on 19 March in protest of the bill and also included a photograph of herself for identification.
“I know that you know in your heart that this law is wrong and unjust,” she said in the letter.
“I know that you know in your heart that transgender people are human too, and you can’t arrest us away.”
She continued: “I know that you know that I have dignity. That’s why I know that you won’t arrest me.”
On the day she said she would use the toilet, Rheintgen was allegedly met by two officers outside the bathroom who tried to work with her but she entered the bathroom regardless and was arrested.
The trespass charge is a second-degree misdemeanor which carries up to 60 days in jail.
She was released from jail 24 hours later.
As per the Herald’s reporting Rheintgen – who describes herself as a moderate conservative – says she regrets her decision as she did not believe she would actually be arrested by police.
Now back at university, she says she will have to find a way to return to the Sunshine State for further hearings.
She said: “Everything that is politics seems very abstract and philosophical from far away. This is the first time it’s really affected me. I got arrested and I got sent to jail because of Gov. (Ron) DeSantis’ policies — like that’s crazy, that’s crazy!”
In a post shared from her account on Twitter/X on 2 April Rheintgen wrote: “I actually didn’t think as many people would see the article as actually did.”
Commenters suggested she start at GoFundMe page or reach to organisations like the ACLU for support with legal costs.
Florida’s bathroom ban was passed by lawmakers at the same time as its controversial ‘Don’t Say Gay‘ law – officially known as The Parental Rights in Education Act – was expanded.
The expansion included a ban on “classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity” for pupils up until the eighth grade. The bill from 2022 only covered students up to third grade.
In addition, the expansion mandated that teachers are only be allowed to use the pronouns on students’ birth certificates.
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