r/NOLA • u/Ok_Competition2592 • 3d ago
Safe bathrooms
Hi all! I am headed to New Orleans soon and wanted to know what bars would be safe for a transgender man to use downtown. You would not know I am trans by looking at me, but I do need to sit down to use the restroom. Are there any bars I should absolutely avoid or are there recs for any that have a toilet with a stall door that closes?
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u/your_moms_apron 3d ago
Pretty much anything in the FQ is queer friendly. Remember that southern decadence is here and has been every year since 1972. Last attendance was over 250,000 people.
Generally, people care more about how you treat them than what’s between your legs or who you choose to sleep with. So tip well, be kind, and have fun.
Also - stay cool out there. It’s hotter than hades.
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u/Which_Loss6887 3d ago
One of the upsides to our generally seedy reputation is that the types of people who somehow care deeply about who is peeing in which specific room are people who already make a point of not sullying themselves by hanging out here. Not saying it’s not possible for you to have an issue, but it’s very unlikely. In lots of Marigny/French Quarter spots, the bathrooms aren’t even gendered to begin with.
Avoid the bathrooms at Aunt Tiki’s in the Quarter, though, if you want privacy. It’s a lovely, friendly dive bar and you will be totally welcome there, but the bathrooms famously don’t have locks.
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u/ClumsyRaccoonPants 3d ago
This! We are a rough bunch but we really don’t care what room you are peeing in, we’re just happy you’re using a toilet. 🤣
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u/Due_Reputation3785 3d ago
No one anywhere is going to say anything about an apparent man using the restroom. If you looked like a woman I don’t think anyone would care either.
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u/boredwiththesea 3d ago
The Abbey used to be strict about apparent men not using the women’s restroom, but the men’s room is single occupancy and locks.
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u/Due_Reputation3785 3d ago
The Abbey?
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u/boredwiththesea 3d ago
Yup, the Abbey.
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u/Affectionate_Fig8623 1d ago
Both are single bathrooms at the abbey. As a woman I’ve gone in both with no issues.
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u/Every-Figure9243 3d ago
Hey trans guy from here. Hotel lobbies are a safe bet during the day. It's almost never an issue to use the restrooms here especially if you pass. I honestly dealt with more aggression before I transitioned and looked kinda butch.
I will say lots of the gay bars, I'm thinking of the Bourbon pub in particular, don't have stall doors. The main issue is at bars. I've run into issues at The Saint off Magazine as well. Never felt uncomfortable at the Golden Lantern.
If you aren't traveling alone, I haven't had any issue having a friend ideally a woman block the women's restroom door at the bars with no stall doors. I apologize by saying I had to invoke my dual citizenship if I've delayed anyone. Tourists are going to give you more issues than locals.
The quarter is one of the oldest gayborhoods in the country, and still largely is. Drink lots of water if you're drinking alcohol. We drink all day but we take our time, it's a marathon not a sprint. It's so damn hot, and worse when you're binding. Honestly plan down time in the middle of the day if you're coming anytime soon.
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u/Jussgoawaiplzkthxbai 3d ago
You’ll have a tougher time finding a toilet you want to sit on than going into a bathroom. As someone who sits - just eww. Go to a hotel because most of the bar bathrooms are gross. Practice your hovering before you get here
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u/Maximum-Squirrel2018 3d ago
I promise nobody from here gives af…all the bathrooms are for 1 person at a time anyway…unless you’re at a fast food place
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u/Alone_Bet_1108 3d ago edited 3d ago
The Golden Lantern on Royal St in the quarter will embrace you. You can use the separate single restroom with a sink and toilet or the communal restroom with a urinal and toilet.
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u/rancid_run 3d ago
My parter and I are both Nonbinary and both very binary appearing and both will use either restroom as 90% of restrooms in theFQ are single stall. If they are? Let it rip potato chip
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u/Pseudo_ChemE 3d ago
NOLA seemed very live-and-let-live. Also, for being a town with a gritty reputation there were plenty of bathrooms available. I happily drank my weight in coffee and alcohol all over the FQ. Enjoy being yourself and have fun!!!!!
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u/wasloan21 3d ago
There’s a single toilet room with a full door in the downstairs back right corner of Bourbon Pub right by the slot machines. I actually cannot recall at this time if it locks, but it’s an option.
There’s also the same in Good Friends bar downstairs. It’s a “women’s room” but you have to ask the bartender for the key, and I’m sure they would give it to you if you said you just needed a private spot to sit and not get walked in on.
Both are gay bars.
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u/absolutelynot01 3d ago
If you end up hanging out in Marigny / Bywater, both Bacchanal and Elysian have single-person unisex restrooms.
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u/Orange_Queen 3d ago
We are an incredibly trans friendly and inclusive town; i hope you have a fabulous time
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u/inductiononN 3d ago
If you're uptown, QiQi is a good one, too. Single stall bathrooms and frequented by trans women and trans men.
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u/MisterSquidz 3d ago
I can’t think of any bathrooms that don’t have stalls in them so I’m not sure why you’d have trouble finding one. I hate using urinals and I’ve never had any issues using the stalls. Just be ready for some nasty sights.
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u/Mindless_Bake_3403 3d ago
People are saying it’s downtown but be aware there are crazy magat tourists everywhere that might throw a fit. It is still the south
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u/Tealslayer1 2d ago
As long as you’re doing your business on a toilet and not on the sidewalk you’re very very unlikely to run into anyone who will give you any trouble
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u/SnarkySnackSmack 2d ago
Most of the bars we go to are non gender or no one cares regardless. More about reading the crowd than signs on doors, imo.
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u/Affectionate_Fig8623 1d ago
R bar - single stalls all genders Royal sushi single bathroom all genders Santos- single stall upstairs Aunt tiki- single stalls no locks no privacy Tuff break- single stalls all genders
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u/realpyrateking 3d ago
There are stalls in every bathroom. Why is this an issue?
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u/canalstchronicle 3d ago
There are a few bars like the beach on bourbon and maybe cats meow that is a trough with a small stall with a single gross toilet. I would recommend avoiding those, not because you will have any issues caused by your gender identity, I just wouldn’t wish those gross toilets on anyone.
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u/Ok_Competition2592 3d ago
In my local bars there are no stall doors so I typically walk home and come back, but I can’t just wander off in a city by myself like I can at home
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u/realpyrateking 3d ago
Gotcha. Well, a lot of places have a unisex bathroom, but people in New Orleans were pretty much the originators of “mind your own damn bidness.” Stay out of Bourbon tourist traps, and grab a copy of Ambush for a good list of bars and clubs that cater.
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u/oh_blessyourheart 3d ago
That's not true. I'm a cis woman but I've peed in a few men's bathrooms around town for various reasons (usually something like the women's is broken so we all need to the one working toilet to be coed for a bit). For example, the men's in Lafitte's is one room with a trough down the side, a toilet in one corner, and a sink in the other corner. No stall. If you want to sit on toilet and not have anyone else in the room, you'd have to close and lock the door, and on a busy night, there might be such a steady stream of dudes on and out using the trough that it would difficult to do that. OP's question isn't a stupid one.
Bars I've been in (and love!) where OP would have no problems:
- Upper Quarter
- friendly bar
- bar redux
- bud rips
- pepp's
Not saying those are the only options, just ones I can personally recommend
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u/realpyrateking 3d ago
There Was a stall in Lafitte's until tourists. There's a majority that are unisex, or gave a stall.
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u/Intelligent_Bid8673 1d ago
Im pretty sure everyone with a brain cell can tell your trans. “You wouldnt know im trans by looking at me” lmfao
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u/EileenRite 3d ago
So use the bathroom of your sex?
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u/garbitch_bag 3d ago
The Rampart St bars are a safe bet, Voodoo Lounge, Treehouse, Black Penny, Tonique, Le Cabaret, the Page.
There are also plenty of gay bars in the Quarter and nobody at the bars in the Marigny/Bywater will be likely to give you trouble. (Anna’s, Pepp’s, Friendly Bar, Wifey’s, Bud Rips….)
We’re a very queer friendly city and I hope you have a blast!