A 20-year-old transgender woman from Illinois, Marcy Rheintgen, was arrested last month at the Florida State Capitol after attempting to use a women’s restroom. The incident marks a potential first arrest under Florida’s controversial laws banning transgender individuals from using facilities aligned with their gender identity. Rheintgen, a college student, deliberately informed police and politicians in advance of her plan, sharing her photo identification and specifying the restroom she intended to use.
In a letter, she challenged the law, saying, “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.” On March 19, Capitol police attempted to dissuade Rheintgen from her planned protest. When she proceeded, officers took her into custody on a trespassing charge. According to the arrest affidavit, police initially planned to release her with a notice to appear. However, after Rheintgen became “sassy,” they feared she might attempt to use the restroom again and decided to detain her overnight.
She was released the following day. Reflecting on the experience, Rheintgen said, “Everything that is politics seems very abstract and philosophical from far away. This is the first time it’s really affected me. I got arrested, and I got sent to jail because of Gov. DeSantis’s policies.” Florida’s restrictive laws prohibit transgender individuals from using restrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping facilities that match their gender identity in government and public institutions. Rheintgen’s arrest underscores the real-world impact of these policies, sparking debate over personal freedoms and transgender rights in Florida.
