Arrest of Marcy Rheintgen

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Marcy Rheintgen
A headshot of a tearful Rheintgen against a gray background
Rheintgen's mug shot
Born2004/2005 (age 20–21)
OccupationCollege student
Known forthe first person to be arrested under the Facility Requirements Based on Sex Act, for washing her hands in a women's bathroom.

Marcy Rheintgen (born 2004/2005) is a student who was arrested and jailed on March 19, 2025, for washing her hands in a women's bathroom in the

bathroom law, Facility Requirements Based on Sex Act because she was a transgender woman using a women's restroom.[3][4] This is believed to be the first arrest made under the law.[5][6]

Prosecution

Before her arrest

One week before her arrest, Rheintgen sent around one hundred and sixty printed letters to Florida lawmakers informing them she planned to use the specific restroom in the Florida State Capitol on March 19 in protest of the Facility Requirements Based on Sex Act.[7] She also included a photograph of herself for identification.[5][8] She wrote in the letter, "I know that you know in your heart that transgender people are human too, and you can't arrest us away."[1]

Arrest

She was accompanied to the Capitol building by Tampa Bay Times reporter Romy Ellenbogen.[9] Two police met her outside the bathroom and warned her not to enter, she entered and washed her hands.[10] The police then entered the bathroom, handcuffing and arresting her after less than 60 seconds.[9] They had initially told Rheintgen they planned to issue a notice to appear in front of a judge, but then arrested her for not meeting the criteria for a notice to appear.[1]

The police confiscated her rosary and searched her person and her vehicle.

Detention in men's prison and charge

She was taken to Leon County Detention Facility, where she was detained overnight in the men's ward. She was released after 24 hours for pretrial release.[2][9] She was charged with a second-degree trespassing misdemeanour, punishable by up to 60 days in jail.[3] The police affidavit uses her deadname and male pronouns.[9]

Reaction to arrest

Rheintgen has stated that:

I'll likely go to a men's prison for a long time, where I'll be forcibly detransitioned, have my head shaved and probably be raped. It is horrifying and morally abhorrent that when we see different and unique members of our society, our first instinct is to imprison them.[5]

The executive director of the pro-LGBTQ+ rights organization Equality Florida, Nadine Smith stated:

The arrest of Marcy Rheintgen is not about safety. It's about cruelty, humiliation, and the deliberate erosion of human dignity...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.[1]

Jon Harris Maurer, Public Policy Director of Equality Florida stated:

Weaponizing bathroom access in a place like the State Capitol is an antidemocratic effort to block them from directly participating in government while simultaneously stripping their rights behind closed doors.[9]

Background

Rheintgen is a college student and Illinois resident who describes herself as a moderate conservative and as "a really religious person".[3][5][11][9] She has described Florida as her "home away from home".[2] Rheintgen describes the actress Hunter Schafer as a personal hero who inspired her to challenge the Facility Requirements Based on Sex Act after Schafer was issued a male passport despite being a woman.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Trans protester arrested after washing her hands in Florida Capitol women's bathroom". The Independent. April 1, 2025. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Trans protestor arrested after washing hands in a Florida Capitol women's bathroom". Miami Herald.
  3. ^ a b c Perry, Sophie (April 3, 2025). "'I'm willing to suffer for rights', says trans woman arrested for washing hands in women's bathroom". PinkNews. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  4. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d Perry, Sophie (April 2, 2025). "Trans woman arrested after washing her hands in Florida Capitol women's bathroom". PinkNews. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  6. ^ "'Sassy' trans woman arrested for using women's restroom in Florida Capitol". The Seattle Times. April 1, 2025. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  7. ^ "Three bills affecting the LGBTQ+ community pass the Florida House". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  8. The Associated Press
    . Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  9. ^
    Erin in the Morning
    . Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  10. ^ Sprayregen, Molly (April 2, 2025). "Trans woman arrested for washing her hands in a women's bathroom". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  11. ^ "Trans woman arrested for using women's restroom in Florida Capitol". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
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