Schools must allow transgender bathrooms, Department of Education says

what dreams said:

I don't oppose or support this. As an educator, I just see it as another distraction. In my school of 1200 students, zero are transgender . . . in all my years of teaching, zero. I've had one student in 23 years who had one parent transition. That's it, out of thousands and thousands of students' parents. This is just a whole lot of hoopla over a small, small, small group of students where a local decision could solve it. Making it a federal issue just raises a whole lot of fury that in my view distracts from the central mission of schools. When I talk to kids about it, I get eye rolls. The kids see the adults, again, getting tied up in a knot over an issue that does not impact them in the least, especially not in a way that will improve their access to a quality education.

Do I deny that the less than 1% of transgendered teenagers need a place to pee? No. Simple: give them access to the private bathrooms that do exist already in school buildings. End of story. Quit making it a problem for everyone else in the school. We're busy learning how to read and write.

I agree. My local district had a 5-year "boy" identify as a female. Because of the age there were a lot of parents concerned and did not want to have to explain to their 4 and 5 year old children why Johnny is always using the girls room. The solution is the school gave the child access to all staff restrooms. Seems to me a more than fair compromise to me. The parents of the child still sued the district for discrimination, and won! And made national news for a short while. This was two years ago before it was as big of a story as it is now.
Sometimes it does seem like the goal is to draw attention rather than to solve an almost non-existant problem. And I say almost non-existant based on the stats you gave above, that are not far off from my district as well. To create federal guidelines for 1 or 2 children in a school that can easily be accommodated at a local level. And now the parents of the high school kids are afraid Johnny Football Star is going to streak through the girls locker room without any consequences (and if you don't think that happens, you don't know many high school or even middle school boys) and hide behind a new law that was meant to protect others.

BS44325 said:

oftenreading said:

BS44325 said:

gimmesometruth27 said:

BS44325 said:

gimmesometruth27 said:

the people opposed to this are the same ones who want "creationism" to be taught as part of the curriculum. i'm looking at you texas.

teaching religion in schools to me is a far greater concern than having to make a unisex bathroom.

Some of us who oppose this are concerned about safe spaces for women and previous female victims of sexual assault who see any encroachment on their space as a violation. To be clear transgendered are not predators but safe spaces for women should be respected. You either believe in this concept or you don't.

oh please, spare us all this bullshit about republicans believing that "safe spaces for women must be respected."

you guys are already inside the woman's vagina with your party platform.

this is the party that opposes equal pay for women. they oppose paid family leave and maternity leave. they oppose birth control, as well as obamacare and planned parenthood that provides contraception. they oppose abortion, even in the case of rape and incest. AND they oppose gay rights. this is just an extension of that opposition. so please, spare us the line about republicans caring about women and respecting them. this is about discrimination, and about republicans playing the victim card.

they are incapable of leading, so playing victim is all they have left.

Nope. This is a woman's rights issue.

No. It's a human rights issue.

Explain that to the previously victimized women out there who feel their safe spaces are being encroached upon. Don't turn their previous traumas into an intolerance of the transgendered.

Can you link any articles where previously victimized women have said this?

I'm going to ask the question I keep asking and no one has had an answer for it....

Up till now what has been keeping the stalkers/rapists/assaulters etc out of the women's bathrooms?

The sign that says women?

This whole thing is STOOOOOOOPID and all about fear, hate, and ignorance.

BS44325 said:

Bentleyspop said:

I'm going to ask the question I keep asking and no one has had an answer for it....

Up till now what has been keeping the stalkers/rapists/assaulters etc out of the women's bathrooms?

The sign that says women?

This whole thing is STOOOOOOOPID and all about fear, hate, and ignorance.

It wasn't the sign per se but a populace who recognized a standard code of conduct and whose presence would subtly enforce that code. Of course criminals could abuse the code in the past but it was always harder knowing there were eyes, ears and societal rules. We are now moving towards desensitizing people to these rules which will allow the criminal to have more opportunities for abuse. Do not call the fears of previously victimized women "stooooooopid". They are not acting out of hate or ignorance but out of previous traumatic experience.

I read the article you posted above but I have a hard time distinguishing if the main woman they interview is making her stance because of previous abuse or her deeply Christian views.

'Gretchen Flores, 47, told The Daily Signal she’s rallying Christian church leaders to help organize the effort against the Human Right Commission’s policy. '

On the other two women in the article: 'Triller Haver and Simon have since canceled their memberships—something that as Christians and longtime volunteers at the organization, they thought they’d never do.'

Is the title of this thread accurate? The article posted doesn't say that schools must build transgender bathrooms. It says that students should use the bathroom that they identify with.

BS44325 said:

Bentleyspop said:

I'm going to ask the question I keep asking and no one has had an answer for it....

Up till now what has been keeping the stalkers/rapists/assaulters etc out of the women's bathrooms?

The sign that says women?

This whole thing is STOOOOOOOPID and all about fear, hate, and ignorance.

It wasn't the sign per se but a populace who recognized a standard code of conduct and whose presence would subtly enforce that code. Of course criminals could abuse the code in the past but it was always harder knowing there were eyes, ears and societal rules. We are now moving towards desensitizing people to these rules which will allow the criminal to have more opportunities for abuse. Do not call the fears of previously victimized women "stooooooopid". They are not acting out of hate or ignorance but out of previous traumatic experience.

Last I checked this wasn't started by "previously victimized women". It was started by a bunch of North Carolina politicians.
Previous to them pushing through their law, and not letting the public decide, there was no issue with who (whom?) was using which bathroom.

gimmesometruth27 said:

BS44325 said:

gimmesometruth27 said:

the people opposed to this are the same ones who want "creationism" to be taught as part of the curriculum. i'm looking at you texas.

teaching religion in schools to me is a far greater concern than having to make a unisex bathroom.

Some of us who oppose this are concerned about safe spaces for women and previous female victims of sexual assault who see any encroachment on their space as a violation. To be clear transgendered are not predators but safe spaces for women should be respected. You either believe in this concept or you don't.

oh please, spare us all this bullshit about republicans believing that "safe spaces for women must be respected."

you guys are already inside the woman's vagina with your party platform.

this is the party that opposes equal pay for women. they oppose paid family leave and maternity leave. they oppose birth control, as well as obamacare and planned parenthood that provides contraception. they oppose abortion, even in the case of rape and incest. AND they oppose gay rights. this is just an extension of that opposition. so please, spare us the line about republicans caring about women and respecting them. this is about discrimination, and about republicans playing the victim card.

they are incapable of leading, so playing victim is all they have left.

Yep it's the party of exclusion everyone of the points you bring up are all on the table with them all the time ...

Godfather. said:

the mighty dicktator Obama has spoken and his word will be the law of the land......

Godfather.

Dictator. Looks like a spell check error.

Bentleyspop said:

I'm going to ask the question I keep asking and no one has had an answer for it....

Up till now what has been keeping the stalkers/rapists/assaulters etc out of the women's bathrooms?

The sign that says women?

This whole thing is STOOOOOOOPID and all about fear, hate, and ignorance.

The law actually. It is out of fear and hate, but not necessarily towards the transgenders. A woman had a right to call police or security when a man followed them into a restroom (and by man I mean someone who lives their life as a man and is just being a creeper, and not referring to a transgender) and that man could be arrested and charged with a sex crime. Now they don't.
I have zero issue sharing a restroom with someone who lives their life as a man regardless what is on their birth certificate. But I can understand the concerns women and fathers have. They are not afraid of the transgender. The law would have prevented Jarod from Subway from following a 12 year old girl into a locker room at a water park to change before and would be arrested (again) if he did. You may think their fears are not accurate and that's fine, but this is the answer to your question. A grown man (and by man I refer to the same as above) would easily be stopped and questioned if attempting to enter an inappropriate a locker room by any adult because it was against the law. I think these issues should be addressed instead of just labeling everyone else as ignorant, we'd find a solution faster.

If you don't think that stuff happens google the sex offender list and see how many people are registered sex offenders in your area, many for things like exposing themselves in front of a school. There's a lot and it's disgusting and it does happen. That is why some have a fear, but fear that this will make it easier for those people.