Transgender Activist Marcy Rheintgen Arrested In Florida After Attempting To Use Women’s Restroom

Marcy Rheintgen, a 20-year-old transgender woman, was arrested at the Florida State Capitol building after attempting to use a women’s restroom in direct protest of a newly enacted state law that bans transgender individuals from using restrooms that align with their gender identity in government buildings and other public institutions. This incident marks the first arrest under the controversial law.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has passed a series of anti-LGBTQ laws, including the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” law, which restricts discussion of gender and sexuality in schools.

Rheintgen, acting deliberately as a form of civil disobedience, notified both law enforcement and elected officials in advance of her planned protest. She sent authorities a picture of her ID and the specific restroom she intended to use, along with a letter where she wrote, “I know that you know in your heart that this law is wrong and unjust. I know that you know in your heart that transgender people are human too, and you can’t arrest us away.” 

Police officers met Rheintgen outside of the restroom she intended to use and attempted to dissuade her. When she proceeded to enter the restroom, she was taken into custody by the officers. The officers initially informed Rheintgen that she would only receive a notice to appear in court. However, after claiming she was being “sassy” and expressing concerns that she might attempt to use the restroom again, officers reversed their decision and placed her under arrest. Rheintgen spent one night in custody before being released.

Regarding the bathroom law, state Sen. Erin Grall (R) said, “This is really about using the facilities with the sex with which you were born.”

State Sen. Tina Polsky (R-Florida) disagreed, saying, “Clearly, the bill is designed to just hurt trans people and not to protect anyone because there’s nothing inherently dangerous about a trans person using a bathroom.”