Pediatrician On CNN: Transgender Girls Will Walk Around Bathrooms With Their Ge

[Shana A]

Pediatrician On CNN: Transgender Girls Will Walk Around Bathrooms With Their Genitals Exposed
Blog ››› February 28, 2013 11:05 AM EST ››› CARLOS MAZA

http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/02/28/pediatrician-on-cnn-transgender-girls-will-walk/192836

During the February 27 edition of CNN Newsroom, host Brooke Baldwin led a panel discussion about Coy Mathis, a 6-year-old Colorado transgender girl who is suing her school district for the right to use female restrooms at her elementary school.

Everyone on the panel expressed support for Mathis' position except for Dr. James Sears, co-host of the CBS show The Doctors. Sears, who is a pediatrician and television personality, warned that Mathis might walk around the girls' bathroom with her penis exposed, like "most boys" allegedly do at that age:

    SEARS: I have three kids, a daughter and two boys, and as when my daughter was that age, I would have been very uncomfortable if there was a boy with a penis walking around their bathroom. And you say that the stalls are private. You know, at that age, most boys especially will use the bathroom then leave their pants down while they walk to the sink to wash their hands and then pull it up.  So it's going to be very uncomfortable for the other girls seeing a penis in their bathroom.

    JENNIFER HUTT: She's a girl.

    SEARS: She has a penis, though.

[Kevin Peña]

Hey, it's not like someone's coming into the bathroom with an assault rifle. Geez.

[spacial]

with her penis exposed, like "most boys" allegedly do at that age:

What a strange world this individual lives in.

[Henna]

No offense, but Mr. Sears has a medical license? Really? REALLY?

And still thinks that gender is determined either by penis or a vagina? A pediatrician....

[EmmaS]

Seriously, he is a doctor? WOW

[Laura91]

That guy is a friggin' idiot. It sounds like he doesn't know squat about transgirls (or transpeople in general).

What a schmuck.

[Vicky]

Does he have "extra professional" reasons for knowing that or making a point about it??  At his age a fixation on little boys' genitals may be the sign of something his community really needs to keep an eye on!! 

[bethany]

Reading this makes me wonder where did this so called doctor get his licence to practice?

[Cindy]

I feel sorry for America.

Is there a special casting agency to bring out these people? "We need a paedophile to pretend to be a medic".

For goddesses sake I have heard some rubbish in my life pretending to be fact but this is sick.

[Albina]

What a strange reason that Dr. Sears has used! I never ever left the stalls in the social restrooms with my pants down. That is something crazy for me.

[V M]

Dr. James Sears, co-host of the CBS show The Doctors. Sears, who is a pediatrician and television personality, warned that Mathis might walk around the girls' bathroom with her penis exposed, like "most boys" allegedly do at that age:

SEARS: I have three kids, a daughter and two boys, and as when my daughter was that age, I would have been very uncomfortable if there was a boy with a penis walking around their bathroom. And you say that the stalls are private. You know, at that age, most boys especially will use the bathroom then leave their pants down while they walk to the sink to wash their hands and then pull it up.  So it's going to be very uncomfortable for the other girls seeing a penis in their bathroom.

Really? Is this guy Dr. Phil's cousin? I don't recall any such behavior when I was in elementary school

I was taught that you did your business in private, put yourself together then washed your hands

[~RoadToTrista~]

If by some off chance she did decide to do that, I doubt it would be traumatizing in the least.

[suzifrommd]

So it's going to be very uncomfortable for the other girls seeing a penis in their bathroom.

Interesting that their best argument against the basic right for a kid to use the correct rest room is that it might be "very uncomfortable" for other kids.

Seems like you could use that argument in favor of the Jim Crow south ("they make white people at lunch counters very uncomfortable") or against access by people with disabilities ("the wheelchair will make the other kids very uncomfortable").

[Rachel85]

There are some sick, twisted people out there in positions of responsibility with NFI who spruik their own agenda and ideas.
Seriously, WTF?!
Scary thing is this is a Doctor of Medicine. So either he is an expert on pre-adolescent behaviour in bathrooms OR he is talking out his arse.
Which is more likely?

[bethany]

Bet Dr. Sears would be singing a different tune if his child lived with GID. But then maybe not I can envision him taking his child out behind the wood shed and beat it out of them.   

[spacial]

That guy is a friggin' idiot. It sounds like he doesn't know squat about transgirls (or transpeople in general).

What a schmuck.

Agreed. But more seriously, he clearly has very little knowledge of little boys or little girls.

But it seems more likely this claim is entirely motivated by his political and public image interest. The claim is clearly preposterus. It will be swallowed by by those that want it to be true and rejected by those that prefer reality. Either way, his position is safe.

[Shantel]

What a strange world this individual lives in.

Obviously he's another educated insensitive moron with a stick up his ass concerning probably all of the GLBTI issues. His insufferable attitude is akin to that mindset from which springs an Adolph Eichmann given the opportunity.

[Shang]

Ironically, I have a daughter and two boys as well. I would also feel uncomfortable having my daughter share a bathroom with boys. I think separate bathroom alternatives are reasonable for transgendered kids, which is exactly what the Mathis's were given.

Except she isn't a boy.  She's a she who happens to have male bits. 

And unless girls are peaking under stalls, chances are no one would be the wiser that she has male bits.  I think having separate restrooms just because your trans* is relatively discriminatory; if you're not going to be peaking under stalls or walking around with your bits all out in the open [male or female] then there really shouldn't be a problem with letting people use whatever restroom they want.

At the age of 6 or 7 I know I wouldn't have cared if someone with male bits went to use the restroom [and I never thought of myself as male at the age].  It's just that I wouldn't have seen the bits and there were stalls.  That locked.

I find this nonsense over the girl using her gender-appropriate restroom crazy.  She's a she.  Let her use the female restroom.

[Brooke777]

I would have been very uncomfortable if there was a boy with a penis walking around their bathroom. And you say that the stalls are private. You know, at that age, most boys especially will use the bathroom then leave their pants down while they walk to the sink to wash their hands and then pull it up.  So it's going to be very uncomfortable for the other girls seeing a penis in their bathroom.

So would they feel less uncomfortable if a boy with a vagina was walking around with his pants down?

I have a son who does not walk around the bathroom with his pants down. Plus, growing up male I never saw this.

Another point, even if boys do walk around with their pants down, girls don't. Since Coy is a girl then she would not walk around with her pants down. Doesn't this J**ka** realize he just contradicted himself?

[Brooke777]

I think it's a little more complex than that. Allowing kids to choose their bathroom will lead to all sorts of abuse.

What I find absolutely objectionable is these parents placing their trans child on such public display for needless ridicule. It is far beyond her maturity level to handle and is dangerous.

Sorry, but I have to disagree. No one is allowing kids to choose their bathroom. They are simply trying to make sure a child who has identified as female "since she could talk" (quote from Coy's mother) to use the gender appropriate restroom. They are trying to make sure she gets fair treatment.

As for the public display thing, I agree. She is only 6 years old. It's fine for her parents to go out and try and change things, but I don't think they should mention their daughters real name, nor show her picture. They are just opening her up for a much harder life than they need to.