Transgender Rights and Bathrooms Explained
Introduction and Disclaimer
Welcome back to my blog lovelies. Today we will be talking about a very important transgender issue having to do with the bathroom issue. I will explain why many people are choosing different restrooms than their "given" gender, and also what problems we face when going to the restroom, especially transgender males, due to that being the area of my expertise.
Disclaimer: I will be talking about some sensitive subjects such as laws, politics, and bathroom subjects but I promise to keep things PG-13! If you are against transgender rights, please feel free to keep browsing HubPages!
If you are against transgender rights, please feel free to keep browsing HubPages!
Transgender Rights in America
With 0.6% of the United States being transgender, this brings up an important subject; transgender rights. More than 6 in 10 people have stepped up saying that they are comfortable with transgender people, but what happens with the other 4 people? When LGBTQ+ marriage was legalized, we saw a huge leap forward in trans and LGB rights. However, now we face another serious issue, "bathroom laws". 47% of Americans were against the "bathroom law" bills that were proposed, and Alaska stood up for LGBTQ+ rights by turning down Proposition 1 which would have set us back years.
According to Prri.org's article "America's Growing Support for Transgender Rights", Most Americans favor laws that would protect LGBTQ+ people against discrimination in jobs, public accommodations, and housing.
However, some people have decided to examine LGBTQ+ rights with what is called "natural law." Natural law states that some things are inherent to human nature and are more or less "God-given." With the form of the Commission on Unalienable Rights, and Mike Pompeo saying that they will examine things with "natural law" this committee has been setting off alarms.
More than 6 in 10 people have stepped up saying that they are comfortable with transgender people, but what happens with the other 4 people?
A More In-Depth Look at Natural Law
Natural law is in essence, a way to counteract LGBTQ+ and Women's activism by arguing that some rights are (usually referred to as "God-given,") and can be regarded as the starting standpoint for all human conduct. It is held to exist different of the law of a given political order, society or nation-state. Basically, regardless of what our laws are, based on Natural Law, there can be persecution and a lot of other good things when it comes to policy. It doesn't matter to "natural law" what "political law" is, and it is safe to say with the appointed committee of the commission, that neither does Mike Pompeo or Donald Trump, for that matter.
Pompeo said that the commission would conduct “one of the most profound reexaminations of the unalienable rights in the world since the 1948 Universal Declaration” of Human Rights. The group will focus, he said, on “natural law.”
— Bil BrowningAre you a supporter of LGBTQ+ rights?
The Truth About Transgender People and Bathrooms
Okay, so time for some hard truth. I will be talking about female to male transgender people below. As someone who is planning to get on hormones and top surgery, I understand how dangerous the world can be. Where I live, in Texas, most people aren't very LGBTQ+ friendly even now that LGBTQ+ marriage is legal. When it comes to the bathroom agenda, the world is a very scary place.
When a "female" goes through transition, such as I plan to, there are many things that can complicate going to the women's restroom. For example, for "FtM" transgender, passing can mean the difference between getting jumped or perhaps even killed.
When you transition, some get on testosterone, which deepens your voice and makes your features more masculine among other things. After being on T and having top surgery, obviously it makes sense that you wouldn't be too welcome in the women's restroom.
If you want an honest truth, we do not:
- Watch you use the restroom.
- Look at your children.
- Think perverse thoughts.
You will not catch our "transgender-ness" by letting us use the bathroom. All we want to do is get in, use the restroom, and get back out as quick as we possibly can. The process can be especially nerve-racking for first-time bathroom users and transgender youth.
Please be respectful and mindful that we as transgender people are human too, and we have a bladder just like you and please don't judge us because of the bathroom we choose to use or what we have or don't have in our pants.
Resources
Daniel Greenberg, Maxine Najle, PhD, Natalie Jackson, Ph.D., Oyindamola Bola, Robert P. Jones, Ph.D. (June, 2019) America’s Growing Support for Transgender Rights https://www.prri.org/research/americas-growing-support-for-transgender-rights/
Bil Browning (July 11, 2019) Every member of Trump’s new human rights commission is an anti-LGBTQ activist. https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2019/07/every-member-trumps-new-human-rights-commission-anti-lgbtq-activist/
