Summary
Marcy Rheintgen, a 20-year-old transgender college student, was arrested at the Florida State Capitol after intentionally entering a women’s restroom in protest of the state’s transgender bathroom law.
Civil rights lawyers say it is the first known arrest under such laws in any U.S. state.
Rheintgen faces a misdemeanor trespassing charge and could face up to 60 days in jail.
Florida is one of only two states to criminalize such acts.
Being arrested certainly brings awareness to the real threat, but she didn’t think she’d be arrested. Maybe the protest would’ve been more successful by going in with a group of women saying that one of us is trans.
I believe she did think she would be arrested. But her letter points out all the reasons arresting her is biggotry. So she took away their ability to deny the bigotry of it.
This is exactly the purpose of civil disobedience.