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I have not posted in a few years however with the constant debating about hundreds of different issues on face book and in everyday life I have decided to begin to type up blog posts again.
In this post I will be speaking up on the bathroom debate. There are many people with different views on this topic and both, if you take the time to listen are legitimate. Yes, they both have very good concerns and both sides want to keep people safe.
The first side is the trans gender side, which people who are transgender want to use the bathroom of the gender which they identify most with. According to the website office for justice programs; "50 percent of the people who died" in hate crimes in against LGBTQ members in the United States, were transgender, also one in two people who identify as transgender are sexually assaulted at some point in their life. According to a quote from ABC news “All the data and all the evidence shows protecting transgender people only increase public safety,” which protecting the safety of all individuals, should be a high public interest.
Now the second side of the debate is the people who are afraid that someone might pretend to be transgender and go into a women restroom and assault females. This is also a legitimate reason for being scared, and has also caused some people to be extra paranoid. Some people have also brought religion into it and have gone into stores and waved a Bible around and shouted throughout the store in protest, which is more a sign of hate, than actual Christian beliefs. For those who are Christian and expect society to stay still, read your Bible. The rest of the world will not follow your beliefs, if you are in anger and quick to judge. For the people who look under bathroom stalls to "see" if the person is actually female, you have become what you were frightened of. You are a pervert, a pepping Tom and deserve to get arrested for your crime. Yes, there will be people who pretend to be transgender and go into bathrooms, and try something, and they will get punished regardless of their gender. Here is a link to some of the instances: http://www.dailywire.com/news/5190/5-times-transgender-men-abused-women-and-children-amanda-prestigiacomo.
People often stick to one side of the debt or the other, without looking at the other side, which is foolish arrogance.
Life story: I currently work retail, and the other day I was asked by an older woman if I was transgender. I was in slight shock, because of the hate that came out of her mouth. I told her I wasn't and apparently, she thought I was because I was wearing short socks and between the small one inch gap she saw that my legs had a little hair. In my head I was thinking "yes, women grow hair on their legs, and yes I was too lazy to shave for one day, because of working multiple jobs." Normally I do not get too upset, however with dealing with many customers lately who have said very nasty commits towards others, I was slightly shaken.
There is also a third side in this debate that has gotten buried, by the hate groups and transgender community, they are victims of sexual assault.
Here are some links to what people who have dealt with sexual assault first hand talking about the bathroom debt (Their words are better than mine.):
- "There’s no way to make everyone happy in the situation of transgender locker room use. So the priority ought to be finding a way to keep everyone safe. I’d much rather risk hurting a smaller number of people’s feelings by asking transgender people to use a single-occupancy restroom that still offers safety than risk jeopardizing the safety of thousands of women and kids with a policy that gives would-be predators a free pass."
- “I know the full weight of not speaking out and people getting hurt,” Simon said, adding: Sex abuse is a silent epidemic and you’re silenced because of the shame, the guilt, there’s a lot of manipulation – that you want it, that it’s your fault. To finally get to the place where I can say I was a little girl that that happened to it there was no shame there was no guilt…That is why so many women stay silent. It’s such a twisting of the soul."
This debate is why I decided to come up with a solution. Everyone has decided to continuously debate, instead, let's come up with a solution.
Here it is:
Locker rooms would have to be renovated with individual areas for people to change similar to the bathrooms, and gym classes would have to be either shortened or abolished to give students more time to change and shower (If required.). Also laws where no one would be allowed to change in the main areas would also have to be implemented as well. People would have to be notified of such changes via signs, postings and word of mouth communications. Violators would have to be given a fine as well as possible jail time for repeated offences.
Make the bathrooms more private and it will help protect everyone.
Websites Cited:
- http://www.ovc.gov/pubs/forge/sexual_numbers.html
- http://abcnews.go.com/US/sexual-assault-domestic-violence-organizations-debunk-bathroom-predator/story?id=38604019
- http://www.dailywire.com/news/5190/5-times-transgender-men-abused-women-and-children-amanda-prestigiacomo
- http://thefederalist.com/2015/11/23/a-rape-survivor-speaks-out-about-transgender-bathrooms/
- http://dailysignal.com/2016/01/25/sexual-assault-victims-speak-out-against-washingtons-transgender-bathroom-policies/
- http://www.ijreview.com/2015/12/483296-rape-survivor-reveals-why-shes-got-a-problem-with-transgender-bathrooms/
