North Carolina University Investigates Student Confrontation in Girls' Bathroom

Western Carolina University is looking into an incident where a student, Payton McNabb, confronted a transgender woman in one of the girls' bathrooms on campus. McNabb, who previously suffered injuries from a transgender athlete in a high school match, filmed herself asking the individual why she was in the girls' bathroom.

Western Carolina University is conducting an investigation after student Payton McNabb filmed herself confronting a transgender woman in one of the girls' bathrooms on campus. The incident has ignited a debate about bathroom safety and the rights of transgender individuals.

In the video, which McNabb uploaded to social media, she asks the individual, "Why are you in the girls' bathroom?" The individual responds, "I'm a trans girl."

McNabb replies, "But you're not a girl."

The individual says, "Interesting, I've never had this before. I don't know what to say, I'm sorry you feel that way."

McNabb then tells the individual that she pays "a lot of money to be safe in the bathroom."

May Mailman, the director of the Independent Women's Law Center representing McNabb, told Fox News Digital that "encountering men in 'intimate spaces can be an extremely uncomfortable and emotionally distressing experience for women."

"Including those like Payton who suffered and continue to experience trauma," Mailman said. "No matter what men are wearing or how they feel internally, schools can't forget about their obligation to women."

Mailman added that she is fearful that colleges "seem more interested" in "investigating a polite inquiry of what a man is doing in a woman's bathroom" than dealing with recent instances of anti-Israel unrest on campuses.

After the video circulated on social media, McNabb said she started facing threats from students who were encouraging others to report her to the university for being "transphobic."

"Currently, I'm facing reports to the school for alleged 'transphobia,' alongside attempts to tear down my sorority, despite it having nothing to do with it," McNabb wrote on social media. "I believe in everyone's right to their own opinion, and I shouldn't face punishment simply because I felt uncomfortable with a man being in our bathroom."

Several bathroom bills have been enacted across the nation after North Carolina's 2016 law. However, a year later, several portions of the bill were repealed, and the federal departments of education and justice issued guidance stating that public universities receiving federal funds are required to treat a student's gender identity as their sex, including in bathrooms.

In September 2022, McNabb was injured during a high school volleyball game by a transgender athlete on the opposing team who spiked the volleyball and struck her in the face, causing her to fall backward and suffer a concussion and neck injury.

"Other injuries I still suffer from today include impaired vision, partial paralysis on my right side, constant headaches, as well as anxiety and depression," McNabb said during a press conference last year. "My ability to learn, retain [and] comprehend has also been impaired, and I require accommodations at school for testing because of this."

Western Carolina University released a statement saying it is committed to "upholding its principles and ensuring that all students have equal access to education and opportunities." However, the university did not respond to a question asking if McNabb is at risk of disciplinary action.