Gender-fluid model Rain Dove maced in public bathroom

Model Rain Dove has revealed they were attacked in a public bathroom. Photo / Getty Images

Non-binary model Rain Dove was sprayed in the face with mace for using a women's bathroom in the United States.

Dove, who is in a relationship with Rose McGowan, was contacted by the attacker after the incident and posted screenshots of their exchange on Instagram to educate others about being gender-fluid.

"This person pepper sprayed me in a 'women's rest room' a little bit ago," Dove wrote on Instagram in the caption section.

"I didn't get to converse with this being because this person just sprayed me and ran past with their kids in terror, asking the security guard to come in and confront me.

"It happens moderately often especially while traveling that people get scared or volatile when I go into the rest room so I just shrugged it off and continued life. Then suddenly out of the blue this person contacted me again. We had a conversation and here's how it went."

The attacker, who was not identified, initially told Dove that they were not sorry for their actions.

"I am the mother that maced you in the ladies room last week and I would do it again," she messaged to Dove.

"I hope that pepper-spray burned the f**k out of you. I think it's sick that you go into ladies rooms … Go to the 1 your ID says to!

"Keep your nastie d**k away from us!"

Dove responded by sending the person a photo of their passport which lists their sex as female.

The woman who sprayed the mace said she assumed Dove was male because the model was tall with a "really manly" face.

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Made it into the #OUT100 with some of my favorite humans! @jillsoloway @munroebergdorf @iamwandasykes @ashleemariepreston Thank You everyone who supports me and made my path possible to do the work that I was acknowledged for in this. I’m dedicating every day of my life to You for us to have a safer future together. Thank You! Ps YES it’s true I DID get electrocuted a few times doing this haha. Some of the bulbs were missing at first and ZAP lol #outmagazine #lovewins #genderqueer #holidaydecor #alllitup #genderfluid #frolic #genderisthematrix #BiggestBulbsInTown #Every LightIsAnIdeaFotHowToChangeHumanity pps all were shot by @martinschoeller who is incredible! Check their profiling of homeless individuals

A post shared by Rain Dove (@raindovemodel) on Nov 15, 2018 at 1:23pm PST

In an extraordinary display of forgiveness, Dove then praised and forgave the person for spraying mace.

"What I wanted to say to you before you left so quickly was that while you hurt me I'm (sic) still admire your bravery," Dove wrote.

"You were protecting yourself and your children against what you believed to be a tall cis man coming into the rest room.

"With many warnings growing up about getting hurt or even raped in the bathroom by deviant men it's easy to be brainwashed into thinking that anyone that is what society seems to be a penis bearer will have negative or sexual intentions when in an intimate space.

"You did what you thought was right in the moment and that takes courage," Dove wrote.

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“LADIES FIRST!” Still rings true apparently. “Men” wait longer in customer service spaces because they often are served or addressed second to “women”. Over a period of 3 months I timed and documented various customer service experiences while presenting as “male” or “female” aesthetically (according to common societal standards in the USA.) These spaces included bars, hotels, hailing cabs, gyms, and more. The results? As a perceived “female” I was served first 7/10 times when a line didn’t exist. As a “male” I found that being tended to “second” lead to an accumulation of about 7 hours and 45 minutes MORE time spent waiting than “females” in a three month period. That’s almost a FULL WORKING DAY lost! When I say “second” what I mean is that a customer service rep may come out and if there is no clear line they will likely show preferential treatment. I also found that as a “female” it was easier to insist that I had been there first. While as “male” when I would say “actually I got here first” I was often met with the comment “Sir please calm down” as if I were a threat. I DID notice that in tip based environments such as restaurants where the bill often is handed directly to the “male” that these biased addressing statistics tilt in the opposite direction more. But surprisingly- not much more. Some have suggested perhaps perceived “females” get treated in this way because they are seen as weak or fragile and in need of coddling or immediate care. While others I interviewed suggested perhaps “males” are asked to step back because they are taught that they aren’t worthy. Whatever it is- it’s clear. When it comes to a potential waiting period, it’s often better to go into it being socially perceived as “female”. #MatesWhoWait #EducateDontHate #lgbt #lovewins #SideBySide #Genderfluid #genderqueer #genderreveal #GenderIsTheMatrix stylist @eve_lina_j

A post shared by Rain Dove (@raindovemodel) on Mar 13, 2018 at 11:02am PDT

The attacker apologised to Dove and said, "I don't get this trans stuff".

"What if next time it definitely is a man in the ladies room?" the woman asked. "How do I balance being fair and not judging with protecting myself and my kids?"

Dove encouraged the mother to judge people as individuals rather than male or female.

"If a person is advancing on you, using inappropriate or threatening language, or brandishing their genitalia in a way that is not aimed at a toilet … then act in a sensible way that's self protective. Otherwise, who cares if someone with the opposite genitals is in the room with you," Dove wrote.

The mother told Dove she felt "dumb" but added, "I still don't like trans people in the bathroom but I won't mace anyone next time."

In the post, Dove wrote that they and a trans friend have a Skype conversation booked with the mother to help educate her even more.

Read the text exchange below: