You’re out holiday shopping with a friend and suddenly the Chestnut Praline Latte you ill-advisedly chugged hits…what do you do? For most people it’s simple–you find a public restroom–but in the case of 60 percent of transgender Americans, the choice is often to avoid public bathrooms altogether.

According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, released Thursday, nearly 60 percent of transgender Americans have avoided using public bathrooms in the last year because they were afraid of being confronted, harassed, or assaulted.

The anonymous online survey was comprised of the responses from a total of 27,715 transgender adults–approximately 2 percent of the U.S.’s estimated transgender population— making it the largest survey examining the experiences of transgender people in the United States.

The nonprofit National Center for Transgender Equality also found:

• 12 percent of respondents reported being verbally abused in a public bathroom in the past year.
• 1 percent said they had been physically assaulted in a bathroom in 2015.
• 32 percent said they limited how much they ate or drank so that they wouldn’t have to use a public restroom.
• 8 percent reported having contracted a urinary tract infection or kidney infection as a result of avoiding bathroom use.

These results coincide with legal battles between LGBT activists and conservative lawmakers over bathroom battlegrounds.

In March, North Carolina’s controversial “bathroom bill” (House Bill 2) made it mandatory for transgender individuals to use a bathroom according to the sex they were assigned at birth rather than their gender identity. Advocates claimed the law was necessary to protect women from “predators” and children from “untraditional values.”

As a result, the Justice Department filed a complaint against the state of North Carolina to stop the discrimination against transgender people.

But the data extended beyond just bathrooms. Respondents’ answers also showed that transgender people are more than twice as likely as the general public to live in poverty, and three times more likely to be unemployed (and four times more likely to be unemployed if they are a person of color).

Nearly nine out of ten (86 percent) reported being harassed, attacked, sexually assaulted, or mistreated in some other way by police. And 40 percent attempted suicide in their lifetime, nearly nine times the attempted suicide rate in the U.S. population (4.6 percent)

According to the survey’s summary:

The findings reveal disturbing patterns of mistreatment and discrimination and startling disparities between transgender people in the survey and the U.S. population when it comes to the most basic elements of life, such as finding a job, having a place to live, accessing medical care, and enjoying the support of family and community

You can find the complete survey results here.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Survey: Transgender Americans Fear Public Restrooms appeared first on Law Street.

This year, Law Street Media is attending both the RNC and DNC conventions, and bringing Law Street readers the inside scoop. We’ll be doing day-by-day rundowns and exclusive features. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat for even more content.

Here’s a look at the second day of the festivities, courtesy of Law Street reporters Alexis Evans and Anneliese Mahoney:

There was a Gender Neutral Bathroom, Without Any Fuss

Image courtesy of Anneliese Mahoney for Law Street Media

Given all the of the hubbub about gender neutral bathrooms in the U.S. this past year, it was a nice “f you” to the GOP to see a gender neutral  bathroom at the DNC.

Of course, some conservative attendees of the DNC were freaked out by the horror. Personally I went in, and wasn’t surprised to see no less than five drug-filled orgies.

I’m kidding. It was just a bathroom.

Hillary Clinton Became the Democratic Nominee After a Delightful Roll Call Vote

Have you ever wanted to see a bunch of adults–some of them famous and important politicians–grin and recite fun facts about their states? If your answer is yes, look no further than the roll call vote held today. DNC Secretary Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who is also the Mayor of Baltimore, asked each state and territory (in alphabetical order) to cast their votes for either Hillary Clinton, or Bernie Sanders.

Some delegates had passionate messages for the group assembled, like DC’s Mayor Muriel Bowser, who used the moment to rally for DC statehood.

Mayor @MurielBowser casts 5 votes for @BernieSanders & 39 votes for @HillaryClinton & full support for #DCStatehoodpic.twitter.com/RV6kCQdN9X

— John J. Falcicchio (@falcicchio) July 26, 2016

Others had deeply personal moments, like Hillary Clinton’s childhood friend Betsy Ebeling speaking for Illinois:

HRC’s childhood best friend Betsy Ebeling doing roll call for Illinois gave me all the feels ❤️ #DemConvention https://t.co/fnwC1qEByf

— Sarah Lerner (@SarahLerner) July 26, 2016

And Bernie Sanders’ brother, Larry Sanders, spoke for the Democrats abroad. He currently resides in the UK and is affiliated with the Green Party of England and Wales.

An emotional Larry Sanders cast a vote for his brother Bernie at the DNC: https://t.co/QwxtEQFo8lhttps://t.co/PqAP5Bz5dw

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) July 26, 2016

#DemsInPhilly even if this roll call serves no real purpose other than being endearing, it’s certainly changed the mood in here.

— Anneliese Mahoney (@amahoney8672) July 26, 2016

Hillary Officially Became the Nominee

Hillary Clinton made history today. She is the first woman to be nominated for president of the United States by a major party.

History. pic.twitter.com/1ayWTx8SPH

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 26, 2016

But Not Everyone was Happy

Image courtesy of Alexis Evans for Law Street Media

As we moved through the roll call vote, many Sanders supporters decided to show their frustration by staging a walkout and then sitting down in the media tent. For a look at the protest, check out Law Street Media’s coverage here.

Mothers of the Movement Moved Arena to Tears

While the Bernie sit-in was still underway inside and outside of the media tent, the crowd inside the arena erupted into chants of “Black lives matter” as the Mothers of the Movement–a collection of black women whose children had been killed in police shootings or by gun violence–took the stage to endorse Hillary Clinton and share stories of their slain children.

This is a pretty profound moment. The “Mothers of the Movement” on stage at the DNC. pic.twitter.com/SrMyPOSGms

— Trymaine Lee (@trymainelee) July 27, 2016

The nine women included: Sybrina Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin; Geneva Reed-Veal, the mother of Sandra Bland; Lucy McBath, the mother of Jordan Davis; Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner; Cleopatra Pendleton, the mother of Hadiya; Maria Hamilton, the mother of Dontre; Lezley McSpadden, the mother of Michael Brown; and Wanda Johnson, the mother of Oscar Grant.

Fulton dismissed concerns that the women were being used by the Clinton campaign as political pawns saying:

This isn’t about being politically correct. It’s about protecting our children. That’s why we’re here tonight with Hillary Clinton. And that’s why, in the memory of our children, we are imploring you — all of you — to vote in this election.Hillary is the one mother who can ensure our movement will succeed.

‘This isn’t about being politically correct’: Watch Trayvon Martin’s mother make an emotional plea at the DNChttps://t.co/wTZhdtmclK

— Business Insider (@businessinsider) July 27, 2016

Bill Clinton Shares Really Long Love Story

Former President Bill Clinton officially became the first man to give a first lady speech with a really, really, long retelling of his and Hillary’s love story.

“Third time was the charm”- says @billclinton on asking @HillaryClinton to marry him #DNC

— Alexis Evans (@Lex_vans) July 27, 2016

Bill documented what seemed like each year with Hillary including moving Chelsea into college in 1997 and the later events of 1999, but unsurprisingly fast forwarding over 1998’s Monica Lewinsky scandal. All in all Bill’s speech was clearly an attempt to humanize Hillary with voters, and I think he succeeded.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post What’s up at the DNC?: Law Street’s Day 2 Coverage appeared first on Law Street.

On Friday, Old Navy tweeted out an ad featuring an interracial family to promote its Thank You Event.

Oh, happy day! Our #ThankYouEvent is finally here. Take 30% off your entire purchase: https://t.co/nGQ9Pji1pN pic.twitter.com/vq4mIczm6A

— Old Navy Official (@OldNavy) April 29, 2016

The ad quickly drew fire from racist trolls who discussed plans to boycott the franchise while criticizing the company for promoting “miscegenation.”

Miscegenation, for those of you scratching your head, is an archaic term defined as the marriage and/or procreation of people considered to be of different racial types.

Many of the racist tweets have since been deleted, however, Jezebel managed to acquire several screenshots before they could be taken down.

The twitter user @RousetheMasses tweeted, “Absolutely disgusting. What’s next? Gender neutral bathrooms? Pedophilia acceptance propaganda?! Never shopping here again.”

She was joined by the user @CulturalCombat who wrote, ” I will never step into an @OldNavy store again. This miscegenation junk is rammed down our throats from every direction.”

The user @marylovefreedom also accused the ad of having a hand in “white genocide,” a theory that alleges immigration, integration, interracial marriages, low fertility rates and abortion in predominantly white countries is a conspiracy to deliberately cause white people to go extinct (even though she mistakingly tagged the post #WhiteGeocide.)

Clearly Old Navy’s message struck a nerve. The retailer, which typically receives likes and retweets in the 1-100 range, earned a huge boost in impressions after publishing the post.

Despite the hate, the overwhelming majority of responders supported Old Navy’s decision to portray a mixed race family in its ads. Several interracial couples and families began thanking the company by sharing photos of themselves and tagging the posts with the hashtag #LoveWins.

Hey @OldNavy, my family and I thank you for the diversity in this ad! #LoveWins, no matter the color pic.twitter.com/TjgYUPMGu4

— KHARY PENEBAKER (@kharyp) May 1, 2016

.@kharyp @OldNavy Thank You Old Navy! Interracial families are beautiful and we appreciate the representation! pic.twitter.com/kVNuGHfAB9

— Noelle Devoe (@Noelle_CD) May 2, 2016

.@OldNavy Props on this ad! My family and I appreciate it. #RepresentationMatters pic.twitter.com/ZXQ8YbT0QS

— Austin Null (@thenivenulls) May 2, 2016

Thank you @OldNavy for finally representing us #thankyouevent #oldnavy pic.twitter.com/x1d1TAifOY

— Chris Blackburn (@photoblackburn) May 2, 2016

Thank you @OldNavy for featuring interracial families in your ads! #oldnavy #LoveWins pic.twitter.com/o7oMQErZPp

— Stacey Valley (@staceyvalley) May 2, 2016

Hey Old Navy, love your new ad! I don’t shop there regularly but will definitely be going this week! #lovewins pic.twitter.com/iDohUc7pmy

— Deirdre (@deirdreshavon) May 2, 2016

It’s surprising that this particular ad would drum up so much conflict, since Old Navy notably has consistently featured a diverse cast of models in its marketing.

Old Navy doesn’t seemed phased by the controversy though. Spokeswoman Debbie Felix said Monday, “We are a brand with a proud history of championing diversity and inclusion. At Old Navy, everyone is welcome.”

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Old Navy Fends Off Racists After Store Features Interracial Family in Ad appeared first on Law Street.