I work at Holyrood – how the new toilets policy affects me

The National

12-05-2025

I enjoy my job. It allows me to help ordinary people experiencing the failures of our system, whether that be in healthcare, education or something else.
I've been doing it for three years now. Even though I often find myself surrounded by people who actively work to make my life worse – and also life for disabled people and working-class people – I know that my part is useful.
Dylan Hamilton I spend all day every day reading emails from some of the most vulnerable people in society who are overlooked or swept to the side.
It's depressing but arguably one of the most rewarding jobs in the building. I get to directly help the people who elect our politicians, the people who they all ultimately work for and are accountable to.
Those people working against my rights, the Conservatives in particular, but now also members from Labour, the SNP, and the Alba Party, have succeeded. At 5pm last Thursday, my last day of work for the week, an email came in. It said I'm no longer allowed to use the men's toilets at work.
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This will affect any trans person who comes to the Scottish Parliament. Any trans person who wishes to participate in our democracy must now face a humiliating, degrading experience simply to use the toilet.
Has anybody ever raised an issue with this before? No. Have I ever bothered anyone while using the toilets? No, of course not. Am I aware of any issue, ever, with anybody in the toilets at the Scottish Parliament? No.
But now those who organise the operational matters of the building have decided to follow guidance they are not legally obligated to that will strip me and others of our dignity – for the crime of wanting to pee.
I've been open in my identity as a trans man for seven years, more than a third of my life. I've never regretted it for a moment. I began using the men's facilities at age 14, when I'd already taken some steps to appear more boyish and could sense the girls were confused by my presence in the women's.
I've never had a single issue in a toilet. For the vast majority who are not constantly imagining the genitals of people around them, they couldn't care less who is in the bathroom with them. The only thing I miss about women's facilities is that they are cleaner.
I now have facial hair and, while being annoyingly short, a rather muscular frame. I can't remember the last time someone was confused by which pronouns to use for me, which I'm very grateful for as transition is a long and painful road.
This is what some call the 'trans man gotcha': that now big, burly men will be in the women's toilets. This is not the case, with the reality being far worse.
The Supreme Court judgment that is responsible for this situation, having used the law in all its flexibility to interpret whatever they wanted from it, explicitly states that trans men who appear masculine should not use women's facilities. Instead, we should use a secret, third thing. We mustn't worry though, it'll be just as pleasant, just as clean, just as equal … but separate. I'm sure nothing of this sort has ever happened before.
Now, trans men are expected to use neither the women's nor the men's facilities. Instead, we've to use separate gender-neutral facilities, outing ourselves to everyone at any occasion.
Transgender people already face incredibly high levels of assault and discrimination, with 79% experiencing discrimination or bullying in the workplace, resulting in many choosing not to disclose their gender identity there. While I'm fortunate that my colleagues are accepting, this is not the case for a huge number of trans people.
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This is simply a matter of dignity and respect. As far as I know, I am the only transgender person in the entire MSP staff block. It feels personal because it is. I've always seen myself as being independent and determined, I can't stand to be seen as weak or to be pitied, which is now how I feel being so exposed.
Of course, I'm grateful that my colleagues are supportive and angry on my behalf, but it forces me into the centre of attention for the sole reason of having different genitals than other people. Who wouldn't feel uncomfortable in that situation?
As an activist, I'm no stranger to being flexible with rules and the law in order to achieve justice. I'm no stranger to being criticised by those who are against my cause or my tactics. This feels different: this is a personal attack on my dignity that I will have to experience every day.
Do I flout the rules by using the toilet as normal? Do I use the women's facilities, potentially making women uncomfortable and confused by my presence, resulting in being banned from those as well?
Do I use the disabled toilets when there are several wheelchair users in my workplace who could be held up?
All I want to do at work is continue assisting constituents who need help. Now, instead of devoting all my energy to that, I will be worrying about how long I can avoid using the toilet for. Which option should I choose?
Can I handle the adrenaline right now of refusing to comply with bigoted guidance? Can I handle the humiliation of being so visibly in the wrong place?
One thing is for sure, I will not simply stay at home to avoid the situation altogether. The bigots who have brought these archaic bathroom restrictions into existence don't care about women's safety, with masculine-presenting women already experiencing harassment and fear using women's facilities.
They care about stepping on an oppressed minority and ultimately pushing us out of public life altogether. That will never happen. Transgender people have existed for centuries before this wave of bigotry and culture wars, and we will exist for long after.