02.23.2017 08:45 AM

This one is for all the LGBT kids in the US this morning

Resist!



8 Comments

  1. Steve T says:

    OK, I need to understand better why this is such an issue for the LBTQ crowd, who I otherwise support wholeheartedly.

    To me, this bathroom situation seems more like a symbolic concern than an actual concern. First, who is actually policing the use of single-gender bathrooms? Presumably, if you look male or female, or are relatively androgynous in your appearance, no one will question which bathroom you enter. It’s only when someone who clearly appears to be male enters a female bathroom, do people become concerned. As a father of two teenage girls, that would concern me too. We have (rightly) prohibited the use of surveillance cameras in bathrooms, so when a man walks into the ladies bathroom, in which one of my daughters is alone, shouldn’t I be a bit concerned?

    This seems to be a debate between the rights of one group (ie – to not be pigeonholed into a particular gender of bathroom) and the rights of another group (ie – for women and girls to not be fearful every time a man enters their bathroom). I truly am asking for some additional information, as to why I shouldn’t be concerned.

    I suppose the answer is to make every bathroom into a single-person stall, but that is a huge expense and not realistic.

  2. Kelly says:

    This issue speaks to a problem that progressives have to deal with when getting their message across, versus conservatives. Progressive stances are nuanced and they are not always easy to explain easily. Conservatives have it easy.

    On this issue for example it fits with in the broad spectrum of LGBTQIA concerns. Yes, you read that right… LGBTQIA. First there was LGB, then LGBT, then LGBTQ, then LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Queer, Intersex, Asexual). Most people don’t even know what have of those words mean. The other side waves signs with stuff like “Men are men and women are women”. Simple.

    Nixon was smart. He got a culture war started and progressives forgot about economic equality (they stopped being left wing) and away went the real concern of wealthy elites — economic equality. They never cared about social issues. The wealthy have never shied away from debauchery and lots of other behaviour that the average person in the various flyover states would detest. Meanwhile the working poor have lost their voice on economic matters. It’s a big problem.

    Progressives need to get back to basics. Get rid of poverty (basically raise taxes on the people with all the money to where they used to be prior to the 1980s) and provide a solid safety net and guaranteed housing, health and education for everyone. I remember hearing a radio show on CBC in Toronto when I lived there in the late 90s. At that time there were more homeless in Toronto proper than there were in all of Sweden. That’s a travesty.

    With economic equality, comes a more equitable distribution of power in society. Then other issues of social justice will have a better chance of coming to fruition, as well. People will be able to stand up and challenge power without fearing that they will become destitute and there will be more rapid progress.

  3. Kevin says:

    From my point of view as G (but not B, L, T or Q) I’m not on board with anything that will marginalize or stigmatize anyone, especially someone who is already in a vulnerable position. And especially not to satisfy some unfounded paranoia. Has there ever been a case where a Trans person has used their trans-ness to assault another person? As far as I’m aware, whenever there’s been any incident involving a transgender person, that person has been the victim and not the threat.

  4. Richard says:

    I was thinking about this latest action by the Trump administration, one that clearly is playing to the Republican ideologues that sold their souls to him.

    It bothers me tremendously.

    These kids are already going through a difficult period in their lives. Teenage life is awkward enough. These kids struggle even more. What bothers me also is how right-wing fear-mongering plays into the stereotype that LGBTQ people are sexual deviants. If a young trans person wants to use X or Y bathroom, I don’t think that experience varies based on sexuality or gender identity. They just want to go to the bathroom. Right wingers would have us believe that trans youth are eager to expose their genitals to others. And the fact they did that on Pink Shirt Day, a day dedicated to ending bullying & promoting acceptance, really shows their contempt.

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