News and Events => Political and Legal News => Topic started by: SophieD on May 22, 2017, 05:08:14 AM Return to Full Version
Title: Texas: "Discrimination Sunday"
Post by: SophieD on May 22, 2017, 05:08:14 AM
Post by: SophieD on May 22, 2017, 05:08:14 AM
'Discrimination Sunday': Texas rushes to pass transgender 'bathroom' bill and measure allowing bias in adoptions, foster care
Washington Post; By Samantha Schmidt; May 22 at 5:42 AM
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/05/22/discrimination-sunday-texas-rushes-to-pass-transgender-bathroom-bill-and-measure-allowing-bias-in-adoptions-foster-care/?hpid=hp_rhp-morning-mix_mm-texas%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.4b97e3b5fce9
Equality Texas shared a tweet from one critic who summed up the day in one post: "Let's just call today discrimination Sunday."
Washington Post; By Samantha Schmidt; May 22 at 5:42 AM
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/05/22/discrimination-sunday-texas-rushes-to-pass-transgender-bathroom-bill-and-measure-allowing-bias-in-adoptions-foster-care/?hpid=hp_rhp-morning-mix_mm-texas%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.4b97e3b5fce9
Equality Texas shared a tweet from one critic who summed up the day in one post: "Let's just call today discrimination Sunday."
Title: Re: Texas: "Discrimination Sunday"
Post by: dusty97 on May 22, 2017, 02:18:43 PM
Post by: dusty97 on May 22, 2017, 02:18:43 PM
Okay, so the adoption agencies one, that infuriates me. If something is publicly funded, it shouldn't be allowed any religious rights. Just as the government *should* have separation of church and state. Something that's tax funded should be seen as an extension of that separation of church and state, IMO.
The bathroom bill, I'm a little bit more inclined to waffle about. Knowing how schools in Texas are, it WOULD (in some, if not most, circumstances) be offering those students more and better protection. I can kind of see where the argument is coming from that they're being singled out, but it also doesn't exclude anyone else from being able to use the single-stall bathroom.
I can definitely see where the schools are coming from in that it would be better for TG kids to have this available, though... It would indeed be safer for them where there are kids who are inclined to be impulsive and act aggressively towards the LGBTQ community. If I were to have discovered these feelings five years earlier and chosen to use the boys' in school, I have no doubt I would have gone through some very unpleasant experiences. I'm actually inclined to be on the republican's side of this argument, because I don't think they're honestly trying to single out and discriminate- they're offering students safety from bullying and uncomfortable situations.. I would have loved to see something like this in my school that even just LGB kids could have used- because of what we went through in the bathrooms. They're not a safe place as they are, and its too easy for a anti-lgbt male to follow a known lesbian into the bathroom and physically/ sexually abuse them with the mindset of "let me show you what a man feels like, that'll turn you straight." And it doesn't just happen to girls... The stories are extremely gruesome, and I don't feel like a transgender boy would find much difference. It would actually be easier for the "bad guys" in that case. Single person, neutral bathrooms actually do make a lot of sense to me.
The bathroom bill, I'm a little bit more inclined to waffle about. Knowing how schools in Texas are, it WOULD (in some, if not most, circumstances) be offering those students more and better protection. I can kind of see where the argument is coming from that they're being singled out, but it also doesn't exclude anyone else from being able to use the single-stall bathroom.
I can definitely see where the schools are coming from in that it would be better for TG kids to have this available, though... It would indeed be safer for them where there are kids who are inclined to be impulsive and act aggressively towards the LGBTQ community. If I were to have discovered these feelings five years earlier and chosen to use the boys' in school, I have no doubt I would have gone through some very unpleasant experiences. I'm actually inclined to be on the republican's side of this argument, because I don't think they're honestly trying to single out and discriminate- they're offering students safety from bullying and uncomfortable situations.. I would have loved to see something like this in my school that even just LGB kids could have used- because of what we went through in the bathrooms. They're not a safe place as they are, and its too easy for a anti-lgbt male to follow a known lesbian into the bathroom and physically/ sexually abuse them with the mindset of "let me show you what a man feels like, that'll turn you straight." And it doesn't just happen to girls... The stories are extremely gruesome, and I don't feel like a transgender boy would find much difference. It would actually be easier for the "bad guys" in that case. Single person, neutral bathrooms actually do make a lot of sense to me.
Title: Re: Texas: "Discrimination Sunday"
Post by: RobynD on May 22, 2017, 02:41:32 PM
Post by: RobynD on May 22, 2017, 02:41:32 PM
In my opinion, restricting bathroom use based on gender presentation or other arbitrary things, is a sort of segregation and should never be attempted in schools or anywhere else for that matter. Those signs were never meant to be a legal barrier.
Sure single-use bathrooms should be more available for those that feel safer or more comfortable using them, but we should not allow restriction for trans folks.
Those bills are never about safety. Like in North Carolina, they are meant to marginalize trans people and they fan transphobia in order to show "moral and safety concerns" and to raise political capital. Marriage equality was a huge loss for these folks and they are desperate for a win and are sort of running out of people to marginalize.
I'm not saying the horrible things you describe do not happen, but because of those bad people a whole population of Americans should not be marginalized.
Sure single-use bathrooms should be more available for those that feel safer or more comfortable using them, but we should not allow restriction for trans folks.
Those bills are never about safety. Like in North Carolina, they are meant to marginalize trans people and they fan transphobia in order to show "moral and safety concerns" and to raise political capital. Marriage equality was a huge loss for these folks and they are desperate for a win and are sort of running out of people to marginalize.
I'm not saying the horrible things you describe do not happen, but because of those bad people a whole population of Americans should not be marginalized.