Why Bathrooms Are a Civil Rights Issue

[Butterfly]

Why Bathrooms Are a Civil Rights Issue
The Huffington Post
By Carlos A. Ball
Posted: September 7, 2010 05:04 PM


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carlos-a-ball/why-bathrooms-are-a-civil_b_707376.html


One conservative group has called the proposed federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)--which would prohibit employers from discriminating against individuals on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity--as the "Transgender Bathrooms for Business Bill." Similarly, Charles Baker, the Republican candidate for governor in Massachusetts, has dubbed a proposed state law that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity as "the bathroom bill" and vowed to veto it if he is elected.

Behind all of this mocking, there is a serious issue, namely, that some employers believe it is appropriate to fire transsexual employees because of which bathrooms those employees choose to use. For example, in a recent case from Georgia, an employer fired a male-to-female transsexual employee on the ground that her use of female bathrooms might upset some of the other bathroom users and potentially expose the employer to legal liability.