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

[peky]

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.

Bad physicians end up be "commentators, show host, etc," the good doctors are in their offices or hospitals doing their jobs...This Dr. Sears argument is flawed in terms that little boys -just like little girls- do not like to be expose, they will go out their way not to expose themselves.

Whoever gave Mr. Sears his MD should take it back!!

[Shantel]

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.

On a lesser level you may have a valid point concerning the parent's motives, but at that age kids will pee anyplace even outdoors. So far I've never seen anyone with a penis using the women's room that didn't close the door to the stall and keeping their feet and knees together point that little thing down where no-one would see it under any circumstances. Female transsexuals aren't fond of it and certainly wouldn't be wagging it around at people to show it off. The real issue that seems to have appeared like a mushroom cloud over restroom use is the doctor's 19th century attitude.

[Laura91]

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.

Exactly.

I have NEVER witnessed this in my entire life no matter what restroom I happened to be in.

The guy must have some really stupid kids or he is just completely full of crap if he believes that his stupid idea is true.

[Kevin Peña]

I have never had a kid expose his genitals to me in the restroom. They always make sure to hide it, which is why that whole "urinal etiquette" thing developed. One urinal's worth of space between everyone, please! 

[Brooke777]

Carefull, let's not drag the doctor's kids into this.   

I presume his point was really that boys genitals aren't always perfectly hidden in the boy's room. I do think this is true for most boys and I don't think it's reasonable to believe it can't happen in Coy's case either. That's a legitimate concern for parents.

There is always a chance that anyone's genitals will be exposed. It does not matter if they have male or female genitals. However, would you want your daughter to have to use the boys room just because some people did not think she was a "real" girl? Would you want your daughter to have to be set apart from all other children just because there MIGHT be a chance that someone MIGHT see her genitals in the gender appropriate restroom? Would it be fair to her that everyone knew she was different, and not allowed to use the girls room but instead could only use the adults restroom or one in the nurses office? Putting her through that would be horrible, and would more than likely cause her extreme emotional issues.

[Laura91]

Carefull, let's not drag the doctor's kids into this.   

I presume his point was really that boys genitals aren't always perfectly hidden in the boy's room. I do think this is true for most boys and I don't think it's reasonable to believe it can't happen in Coy's case either. That's a legitimate concern for parents.

That's a fair point but she could use a stall instead of a urinal. But as far as parent's of other kids are concerned most of them flip out just because of the typical American institutionalized fear of EVERYTHING.

[Kevin Peña]

Her genitals would likely not be exposed since she's going to be in a STALL. There are no urinals in a woman's restroom. 

[Laura91]

Her genitals would likely not be exposed since she's going to be in a STALL. There are no urinals in a woman's restroom. 

True.

I was thinking that if she used the girl's room someone (parent or fellow student) would throw a stupid hissy fit and she would or could be forced to use the boy's room.

Most people in school administrations are pretty stupid so it isn't such a far-fetched idea.

[Kevin Peña]

I was thinking that if she used the girl's room someone (parent or fellow student) would throw a stupid hissy fit and she would or could be forced to use the boy's room.

Most people in school administrations are pretty stupid so it isn't such a far-fetched idea.

Tell me about it.  My school shut down all of the boys' bathrooms except on due to a couple of kids vandalizing a bathroom. Why not install a camera in the bathroom? Not in the stalls, but just to get a broad view of who most recently entered a stall where a toilet was set on fire (not kidding, it happened). Now there's one bathroom for 2.5 THOUSAND guys.

A camera could've caught the perpetrators and left the rest of the guys unpunished. People need to learn to chill out. 

[Kevin Peña]

And there are no urinals in women's restrooms because?  (Hint: it's not because there's no seat to complain about leaving down...)

I know why there are no urinals in a woman's restroom. My point is that the fact that there are only stalls to use would mean that the only people who would see the kid's genitals are peepers who actively try to see them. In that case, it's a completely different problem. 

[Devlyn]

Let's try to rise above the fray and make our points without insulting or attacking anyone, please. Hugs, Devlyn

[Kevin Peña]

Yet, no one knows anyone who has or would ever misbehave in a bathroom? 

I don't know why they weren't ratted out. Anywho, I don't see a problem with this kid using the girls' restroom.

[Shantel]

Let's try to rise above the fray and make our points without insulting or attacking anyone, please. Hugs, Devlyn

Edit: By Auntie Shan
Insulting and attacking the doctor would be high on the fair game list! 

[Devlyn]

Behave yourself, Auntie Shan! Hugs, Devlyn

[Elspeth]

My first though was that if his sons do this, he's failing as a parent. Never would have been tolerated in my house or in my childhood from children of any gender after about age 4.

[Brooke777]

Brooke, I completely understand that concern. I believe both sides have legitimate concerns however, not based in bigotry or stupidity (although I'm sure that does exist obviously). If my son came to me and said he was transgender and thru counseling found he was, I would not be comfortable with him using the girl's restroom if other parents and students were opposed to it. I would handle this in a very discrete manner, I would ensure my trans daughter had reasonable bathroom options at school. I certainly know I wouldn't throw my daughter into the national spotlight, this is really my big issue. Everything else has a solution IMO.

I agree, I would not do this to my child either.

[Shantel]

I always find it amusing what a firestorm restroom issues can cause in this community. One of the members just emailed me and asked me what I do for entertainment. Uh - This!

[Laura91]

Edit: By Auntie Shan
Insulting and attacking the doctor would be high on the fair game list! 

I would agree with this.

While I completely understand that the staff wants to keep things civil between the members of this forum I cannot for the life of me understand why insulting the pathetic scumbags that rag on us is somehow a bad thing.

Screw those people. They don't give a damn about us as a community so why should we be expected to be civil towards them? All of those sorts of people can go to hell as far as I am concerned.

[Devlyn]

I'm just asking people to act like adults, feel free to act otherwise, though. Hugs, Devlyn

[Laura91]

I'm just asking people to act like adults, feel free to act otherwise, though. Hugs, Devlyn

With all due respect, there is nothing childish about standing up for yourself and telling off the people that want to oppress you. I know we live in a world that has been conditioned to enjoy being walked on and abused but I refuse to play that game and I will call it as I see it.