Claire Seid first heard of “#IllGoWithYou” when the North Carolina bathroom bill first passed in March 2016.
According to the #IllGoWithYou website, the project began more than a year ago to support and offer assistance to individuals who are transgender or gender-nonconforming.
The slogan refers to the act of accompanying an individual to public areas where they may feel unsafe — such as a public bathroom. Individuals who want to be allies can pick up buttons with the slogan written on them from Ohio University’s LGBT Center.
The campaign helps transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals identify others who are “willing to be there for them if they need to go to the bathroom and stuff like that,” Marissa Radigan, a student worker at the LGBT Center, said.
“It’s definitely a great first step, being willing to publicly ally yourself with the trans community,” Seid, a senior studying sociology, said.
Tiffany Anderson, who identifies as a transgender female and uses they/them pronouns, believes the initiative is a good idea as long as “people are actually willing to put in the action.”
“Just having the buttons is not enough. People have to actually be willing to stick by that,” Anderson, a junior studying computer engineering, said.
Anderson said they often ask others to accompany them to restrooms they feel uncomfortable in and the initiative would help other transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals feel safer.
Here in Athens, the LGBT Center has been hosting SafeZone training and SpeakOUt rallies, educating students, faculty members and community members about the project and encouraging individuals to participate.
The role of allies in supporting those individuals is highlighted in the pledge, Sam Haug, a junior studying wildlife biology and conservation and global studies – Asia, said. Having a member of “the majority” speak out against transphobia can often have more of an impact as they are on the same side of power, Haug, who is a student worker at the LGBT Center and uses they/them pronouns, said.
“Because the trans population is a small population, it’s important to have people outside who are willing to (provide) support,” they said.
According to the National Center for Transgender Equality’s report titled The Report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, 31 percent out of nearly 27,000 respondents self-reported experiencing at least one type of mistreatment in public accommodations.
Although the survey was conducted before the bathroom bill arguments began, more than 59 percent of respondents self-reported avoiding using public restrooms within the past year out of fear of confrontation and harassment by strangers.
An email sent out by the university emphasized OU’s “commitment to OHIO’s diverse and inclusive community” and discussed Policy 40.001, Equal Employment and Educational Opportunity, which includes protections for individuals regardless of sex, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation, according to a previous Post report.
While the act of having the button is supposed to be one of solidarity, Seid said she is worried about individuals using it as “performative allyship.”
“Basically just being like, ‘yes, I’m going to wear this thing because it’s cool while I’m not really examining the structural problems,’ ” she said.
Haug echoes Seid’s statements.
“There’s a lot of meaning behind (the button),” they said. “Don’t take the pin unless you mean to be an advocate and actually help someone.”
Making a pledge to help individuals who are transgender and gender-nonconforming is a great first step for individuals who aren’t involved in activism, but Seid said it can’t be the only step taken. She encourages individuals to read and research about the lives of trans individuals to better understand their experiences.
“People deserve the right to freely go and use the restroom without being afraid of someone attacking you,” Haug said.
