Florida Capitol police arrested a transgender woman after she used a women’s restroom to wash her hands.
Illinois resident Marcy Rheintgen was arrested two weeks ago for trespassing, the Miami Herald reports, citing an affidavit. The 20-year-old previously sent letters to lawmakers — along with pictures of herself — warning she would use a specific women’s bathroom in the Capitol.
Rheintgen said she would do so in protest of a 2023 state law that prohibits people from using bathrooms in public buildings — including schools and correctional facilities — that don’t match their sex at birth.
“I know that you know in your heart that this law is wrong and unjust,” Rheintgen wrote in her letter, according to the Herald. “I know that you know in your heart that transgender people are human too, and you can’t arrest us away.”
“I know that you know that I have dignity,” Rheintgen added. “That’s why I know that you won’t arrest me.”
Rheintgen arrived at the bathroom on March 19 as planned, where she was met by two Capitol police officers. The officers said they tried to work with her, but Rheintgen entered the bathroom anyway, according to the affidavit reviewed by the Herald.
Police initially told Rheintgen they’d issue a notice to appear in front of a judge to avoid sending her to jail — but they ultimately arrested her instead because she didn’t meet the criteria for a notice to appear.
Police described Rheintgen as “sassy” and claimed she implied she might use the bathroom again, the Herald reports. The trespass charge is a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail.
Rheintgen was released from jail 24 hours later.
According o the Herald, she know regrets her experience and didn’t think she would actually be arrested. Now she is back at school and has to find a way to return to Florida for further hearings.
“Everything that is politics seems very abstract and philosophical from far away,” Rheintgen told the outlet. “This is the first time it’s really affected me. I got arrested and I got sent to jail because of Gov. [Ron] DeSantis’ policies — like that’s crazy, that’s crazy!”
This could be the first arrest related to the 2023 bathroom bill, the Herald reports.
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Nadine Smith, executive director of the pro-LGBTQ+ rights organization Equality Florida Action Inc., condemned Rheintgen’s arrest in a statement Tuesday.
“The arrest of Marcy Rheintgen is not about safety. It’s about cruelty, humiliation, and the deliberate erosion of human dignity,” Smith said. “Transgender people have been using restrooms aligned with their gender for generations without incident. What’s changed is not their presence — it’s a wave of laws designed to intimidate them out of public life.”
“The true goal is intimidation. If you can’t safely or legally use a restroom, your time in any public space is limited. That’s the point,” Smith added. “These laws don’t protect anyone; they push transgender people out of everyday life, shrinking their freedom and making them vulnerable to harassment and arrest.”
The Independent has contacted the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for comment.
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