Photo of young transgender girl sends important message about North Carolina's bathroom laws

Photographer Meg Bitton shared her image of a young transgender client Corey Maison on Tuesday, in response to controversial legislation in North Carolina that forces those in the transgender community to use bathrooms that reflect the sex written on their birth certificates. 

In just a day, the post has garnered more than 30,000 reactions and 18,000 shares.

In the post, Bitton calls out the North Carolina legislation.

"If this was YOUR daughter, would you be comfortable sending her into a men's bathroom?" she wrote in the photo's caption. "Neither would I. Be fair. Be kind. Be empathetic. Treat others how you would like to be treated."

She qualified in an update to the post: "Corey Maison is transgender. She was born with male anatomy but identifies as a female. Under the new laws, SHE would be forced to use the men's room. Therefore, I would not be comfortable sending HER into the men's room if she was my daughter." 

Bitton tells Mashable via phone that the photo was taken during a photoshoot taken in December. 

"Corey helped with her make up and I edited the image for her, the way she would like it," she writes in an update to the post. "Not for me and certainly not for any of you."

Following news of the North Carolina legislation, Corey's mother -- based in Michigan -- and Bitton -- based in Bergen County, New Jersey -- decided to collaborate on a post that would show support for the Corey and the transgender community. 

Even though Bitton says the majority of comments on the post have been positive, the post has also drawn negative reactions. She writes in the post that she'd considered removing it, but that Corey's mother had made the decision to keep it up and to continue to raise awareness of issues affecting transgender people.

"I never like to read anything on my page that's so negative toward another human," Britton told Mashable. "I don't like really to host that."

And as for the positive comments: "I appreciate and I think that the family appreciates all of the positivity and the support surrounding it, and everybody just sort of tries to block out the negative the best they can."

[H/T: The Daily Dot]

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