Gender neutral bathrooms, who is the real threat?
Saddleback College has gender neutral bathrooms in the Learning Resource Center. (Colin Reef/Lariat)
President Donald Trump withdrew the guidance for transgender protection that was dictated by Title IX last month. Title IX was introduced by the Obama administration in May of 2016 to protect the rights of transgender students to use the restroom and locker room that match their gender identities and not necessarily the gender listed on their birth certificate.
Trump’s ruling has comes in the midst of the case involving transgender student Gavin Grimm, who said federal law allowed him to use the school restrooms matching his gender identity. The Supreme Court was originally scheduled to hear that case on March 28, however with Trump’s new order the case has now been taken off the calendar.
The biggest problem with this issue is that it is an issue at all. According to a poll by the Public Religion Research Institute, 53 percent of Americans surveyed oppose laws requiring transgender people to be forced to use the bathroom indicated on their birth certificate. Unfortunately ignorance, fear, and bigotry are the main culprits for the contention surrounding this issue.
While it is understandable for parents to want to protect their children from sexual predators, preventing people from using the restroom of the gender that they identify with will not prevent these sexual predators from attacking. The “Family Research Council” released a brief outlining 21 assaults that have taken place since the introduction of title IX.
The problem with these assaults, is that the majority of them are not assaults by transgender people. The perpetrators are sexual predators and while some of the sexual predators may be transgender, being transgender does not make someone a sexual predator.It should be noted that transgendered people are often and most likely the victims of assault. A report from the National Center for Transgender Equality state that 61% of transgendered are victims of psychical assault and 64% victims of sexual assault.
The people who push this stigma that transgendered people are threats are the actual, real threat.
The right pushes this cruel and offensive agenda towards anyone that is deemed different. Much like when people would consider anyone that was LGBT to being mentally ill. But sexual predators come in all forms, and some of the worst offenders hold government positions, most notably President Trump who has bragged about violating and degrading women.
Trump claims that his position on the matter is that the rights of transgender students should be left to the states and institutions to decide, and not be a federal matter. Someone who has bragged about violating the rights of women can not be trusted to protect the rights of transgender people.
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