Most people agree that the HB2 law in North Carolina is absurd. It prevents transgender people from using public bathrooms that reflect their gender identity if it’s different from the sex stated on their birth certificates.
Now it seems that New York-based transgender actress, Shakina Nayfack, plans to reveal in practice just how absurd that law is.
Nayfack has two shows that tell the story of her gender transition— One Woman Show and Post-Op. She is now combining the two shows into a single rock musical with the title, Manifest Pu**y.
Starting June 9, she will tour North Carolina to perform Manifest Pu**y and support local organizations working against HB2. Because her sex is stated as “male” on her birth certificate though, she is banned from using female bathrooms in North Carolina.
So male folks in North Carolina, when you see her in public bathrooms it might take you by surprise, but just remember — it’s the law. Nayfack plans to gain as much publicity as possible, taking selfies and tweeting whenever she uses male public bathrooms.
The Guardian reports Nayfack as saying:
“They are trying to create a situation where trans people are supposed to be invisible. This is an absurd, panicked reaction from the ignorant, it’s a massive step backwards, so I felt it was my duty to go down there and take selfies in as many men’s bathrooms as possible.”
Places in North Carolina that Nayfack plans to visit include Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Greensboro, Asheville, Flat Rock, Charlotte, and Fayetteville. Her planned tour has received strong support from the local transgender and wider LGBT communities.
The U.S. Department of Justice has said HB2 violates the Civil Rights Act and cannot be enforced. It has imposed a Monday, May 9 deadline to North Carolina to suspend or repeal the law.
However, the Republican leaders of North Carolina’s General Assembly have indicated that they will not meet this deadline. Nayfack says the General Assembly’s ultimate decision will determine the tone of her tour. Nayfack said:
“Depending on what the legislature does, it will either be a demonstration or a celebration tour. HB2 is ridiculous, it means trans people either have to go in places where we risk being subject to violence, or at least making people uncomfortable, or we are forced to find secret places to pee.”
Her tour will expose the irony and absurdity of HB2 for sure as men will likely find it uncomfortable, and unusual, to encounter her in their bathrooms. For her personal safety she is considering recruiting security to accompany her. On this matter she states that:
“I’m not looking to confront anyone. If people want to engage me in civil discussion in a bathroom that will be fine. But if people want to come at me, I’ll tell them, well, they could suck my d**k, but I cut it off.”
One thing is for sure, her tour will make it much harder to defend HB2. North Carolina’s Republican leaders will find it harder to discriminate against transgender people.
Featured image via screengrab from Shakina Nayfack’s website.
