Anti-gay activist group admits trans school “harassment” is fake

[suzifrommd]

The problem is, of course, we are dealing with those who have a mindset not open to change.

But most who don't are either too bigoted or not invested in becoming educated. Therefore, we have to wait for the bigotry to die out.

I really think this is only part of the story. Most people ARE compassionate and ARE willing to change once they understand what's involved.

Witness the number of people who changed their minds about same-sex marriage once they knew out gay people and realized they just wanted to share lives with a partner like they did.

I'll take the lawyer for my employer as an example. He was neither bigoted nor closed-minded.

He just hadn't thought it through.

When he told me that "women won't want to share a bathroom with someone who has different genitals" he didn't understand how many non-op and pre-op transgirls use women's facilities all the time without people knowing. All he knew about transgender was what he'd seen and read in the media (we get surgery, then we're women). It hadn't occurred to him that no one knows what someone's genitals look like when they're in the next stall.

For people like him, don't you think a little education could go along way?

[Arch]

For people like him, don't you think a little education could go along way?

I don't have all the facts, but I'm still inclined to think that for him, it's exactly as I said: he was not invested in educating himself. Most people aren't, until something comes up and smacks them in the face...or bites them in the ass.

[Jamie D]

Transgender Colorado teen under suicide watch after harassment

A young transgender girl has been placed under suicide watch after a false story concocted by the Pacific Justice Institute accusing her of harassing other girls in the bathroom received national media attention.  Florence high school superintendent confirmed that there were no incidences of harrassment reported at all, but one abject parent took to the media to voice their disapproval of allowing the trans girl to share the same restroom with other girls.

This is so sad.

Here is a picture of the transgirl in question:



Can you pick her out among her cis friends?

[Devlyn]

Trick question, they're all trans!

[Jamie D]

Here is another picture of the so-called "boy"



Sometimes you have to put a human face with the story.  I can not, for the life of me, figure out why some want to demonize this young transgirl for lawfully using the High School girls restroom.

She has been living as a girl since before she entered high school.  She is now a sophomore.

[Ms Grace]

The poor girl, I hope she gets the love and support she needs...

[suzifrommd]

Can you pick her out among her cis friends?

It's cool that she blends in so well, but I need to say this bothers me slightly. There's an implication that the fact that she passes well is somehow relevant (And admirable? Empowering?)

IMO, it isn't any of those things.

If she were built like a linebacker with hands like Andre the Giant, that wouldn't impact the appropriateness of her using the womens' rest room, would it?

[Jamie D]

It's cool that she blends in so well, but I need to say this bothers me slightly. There's an implication that the fact that she passes well is somehow relevant (And admirable? Empowering?)

IMO, it isn't any of those things.

If she were built like a linebacker with hands like Andre the Giant, that wouldn't impact the appropriateness of her using the womens' rest room, would it?

The point I was trying to make is that this girl the "Pacific Justice Institute" was trying to demean by continually referring to her as a "boy," had seamlessly blended in with the other girls - there was no issue.  They outed her and they made an issue out of it.  Now she is the object of death threats, violence, and is suicidal.

The tactic being used was to call her femininity into question.  Ergo, her picture provides a stinging refutation.

[suzifrommd]

The point I was trying to make is that this girl the "Pacific Justice Institute" was trying to demean by continually referring to her as a "boy," had seamlessly blended in with the other girls - there was no issue.  They outed her and they made an issue out of it.  Now she is the object of death threats, violence, and is suicidal.

The tactic being used was to call her femininity into question.  Ergo, her picture provides a stinging refutation.

Don't want to belabor the point, but I'm still a little bit uncomfortable about this.

No. Her picture is not a refutation. Her looks and passability has nothing to do with her femininity. Even if she hadn't blended seemlessly, she would have the right not to be referred to as a boy.

The cis world insists that we blend invisibly into their world in order to have recognition as our new gender. Not only is this ignorant, but it also is impossible for some of us who will never pass for any one of a ton of reasons. I'm worried we're buying into their stuff, we're perpetuating discrimination against non-passing trans women.

Sorry about being on my soapbox, but I have a lot of non-passing friends, and I really feel strongly about this.

[Devlyn]

I think you're just seeing the bigger picture, Suzi. Good on ya! Hugs, Devlyn

[Cindy]

Am I correct in thinking you are all taking about belief, appearance, acceptance and perception?

I believe and perceive myself as a woman. I accept myself as a woman and I appear as a woman.

In the general population none of those paradigms are questioned.

No one questions any woman that I have met about her femininity as far as going to the toilet. I know some extremely butch woman who readily pass as, but do not identify as male, who use the female toilets.

No one questions them.

I feel that many arguments that develop from the USA (and no I'm not bashing) result from an ingrained lack of acceptance of anything 'foreign' to a belief system. Fortunately that seems to be changing.

In other Western countries with similar culture these issues are just not issues.

Why?

Understanding that may help to progress the argument.

[suzifrommd]

I feel that many arguments that develop from the USA (and no I'm not bashing) result from an ingrained lack of acceptance of anything 'foreign' to a belief system. Fortunately that seems to be changing.

In other Western countries with similar culture these issues are just not issues.

Why?

At the risk of derailing the thread, I hope you'll allow me to take a crack at this.

I think there is a touch of cocksureness that's fashionable in America. Can't speak for other places, but in America we like to think of ourselves as having the Answers while the rest of the world asks the Questions. We value sticking to our beliefs, perhaps more than other places with similar culture.

So if an American grew up assuming that genitals = gender, they may be less willing to change their minds than someone in a culture where people are accustomed to sharing space with lots of diverse viewpoints.

Or maybe it has nothing to do with this. Just speculation here.

[Eva Marie]

One of the excuses the haters always seem to use when it comes to transfolk using a public restroom is that some boys or men will take advantage of new, more liberal policies by using a transgender identity subterfuge to get away with a crime against women. 

A couple of questions that come to my mind when I read this in the news is "Today's laws stop bathroom assaults? Letting us use the proper bathroom will increase them?".

Merely passing a law never has deterred anyone from committing a crime if they are determined to do it, otherwise we'd have no crime. There are still theft, murder, burglary, arson, rape, assaults, and all kinds of other crimes committed every day in spite of the laws on the books. A person committing this very serious "possible" crime of assault would not be one of us - they would be a sick pervert.

Using the bathroom is a basic human right that everyone needs. The lies and manipulations that PJI did and told to try to prevent this young girl from accessing this basic human right in the name of "morality" is disgusting; it reveals their lack of character, substance, compassion, understanding, and yes, morals. These are not good people.

And somewhere in all of this mess a very young girl has been horribly damaged and forgotten since her usefulness as a pawn by PJI has passed. She will have to live the rest of her life stained by what PJI did to her.

[dalebert]

It's exactly as I predicted. Her "harassment" was existing.

[Silvermist]

When an action such as harassment is redefined to mean the same thing as inaction, then all rationality and common sense have gone out the window.

Someone should start a meme about being "harassed" by harmless, inanimate objects. Like, "Man, I was totally harassed by a flower today. It got all in my face and forced its pollen up my nose, and I feel SO violated!"

[Jill F]

When an action such as harassment is redefined to mean the same thing as inaction, then all rationality and common sense have gone out the window.

Someone should start a meme about being "harassed" by harmless, inanimate objects. Like, "Man, I was totally harassed by a flower today. It got all in my face and forced its pollen up my nose, and I feel SO violated!"

I'm harassing the world now by merely existing!  Now where is that moral fiber of society?  Must. Destroy. Now. Mwahahahaha!!!  The RWNJs have thusly empowered me.  What fools!

[Silvermist]

OK, I made the image...

[~RoadToTrista~]

I'm a bit worried. This harrassment story may have been fake but what if it wasn't? What if something like that happens soon? That wouldn't help our community at all.

[DriftingCrow]

I'm a bit worried. This harrassment story may have been fake but what if it wasn't? What if something like that happens soon? That wouldn't help our community at all.

There's bad apples in every community, just some get more media attention than others. . .  When I first heard of this incident, I thought it was a kid who's parents convinced him to or himself on his own doing pretended to be trans for the day just for the sake of making this new law to benefit trans students look like it was going to cause more harm than good. I wouldn't put it past people who are strongly against this law to do something like that, and then seeing the news was faked isn't surprising either. I could be wrong, but I do believe the law only benefits students with a doctors/therapist note diagnosing them with GD, so hopefully that'll prevent those who just want to cause trouble.

If there is a real trans student who does harass other students, I'd think their acts are wrong just like I would for anyone else. Hopefully the American public (oh. . . do I have high hopes today or not? ugh, I feel pessimistic) realizes that the majority of most subgroups are regular law abiding citizens who just want to live their lives in peace and harmony.

[Silvermist]

I'm a bit worried. This harrassment story may have been fake but what if it wasn't? What if something like that happens soon? That wouldn't help our community at all.

I know that you mean well, but that just sounds like FUD. Just because it could happen doesn't mean that it will. What are the chances that any trans girl would have an irresistible urge to sexually harass other women in restrooms? In addition to HRT's well-known effects on libido, I would think that as a trans person, one would tend to be hyper-vigilant and self-conscious (for better or worse) about poor behavior that would only result in bad consequences for oneself based primarily on being trans, to say nothing of other trans people. It's just like how people of color have historically had to worry about whether they reflect poorly on their race: e.g., as the first black President, Obama's performance will influence how receptive voters will be toward future black candidates.

FUD is not reality; it's a distortion of reality for the sake of fear-mongering and hate-mongering. Let's please not be a part of it.