I can't believe the United States has gotten to the point where we have to have debates about whether it's ok or not for men to be allowed to use women's restrooms and locker rooms. The politicians who come up with pro-transgender laws don't seem to have enough gray matter in their heads to realize there's something seriously wrong and weird about grown men being allowed to be around little naked girls, naked teen girls, and naked adult women who might be changing out of their swimsuits and showering at the YMCA. I don't care if the "transgendered" men claim they aren't sexually interested in females. How do I know they aren't lying? Seriously, what's going to stop some straight guy who's a peeping tom from claiming he's "a woman inside" so he can enter a locker room to look at naked women or teen girls there? Or Chester the molester doing the same so he can ogle, or even fondle, little girls? I can't believe some politicians, including some who might even call themselves Christians, have become so eager to be embraced and loved by society that they fall down before the "altar of political correctness" and worship the "god of diversity." There are many things I love about America, but, in so many ways, we're no better or moral than pagan Rome was 2,000 years ago. We all know what happened to THAT empire. Kierkegaard, this post is in no way meant to demean you about your very public struggles. I'm not saying everybody that claims they feel like they are the opposite sex trapped in the wrong body is lying about that. What I am saying is there is going to be people that take advantage of these laws to sexually exploit others and I don't think these laws are a good idea. Honestly I think the fairest thing to do is just make a separate gender neutral bathroom facility for transgendered people. It would be particularly interesting to hear your input about this topic.
I can't decide. On the one hand I'm told that I live in a culture that celebrates rape ('rape culture'), where all men must be taught that rape is bad, and that they shouldn't be violent - all men are misogynistic, transphobic, etc. On the other hand I'm told that it's progressive and accepting to allow men-who-identify-as-women to use women's toilets, and that such men would never be violent with women. But then I'm also told that we should do away with the sex / gender distinction because there are no real differences between men and women beyond the obvious anatomical differences, and the different ways boys and girls are raised. It's a mess of narrative There's obviously nothing important happening in the world right now. I can tell you, they aren't lying (unless they are lying about being trans in the first place). Transgenderism isn't a sex 'thing'. This isn't suddenly a new thing; a toilet door with a sign on it wasn't stopping anyone who didn't care in the first place, and trans-people have been using the toilets of the opposite (birth) sex for decades? It's fairly easy to tell who is authentically the hyper-feminine trans-woman, and who's trying to get a peep. You might find this from Camille Paglia to be of interest (it's an odd world when the feminists of the 60's are making sense): [youtube]HxoN4wTrnvs[/youtube] No worries, I agree with you. The entire debate is imbecilic. Want to use the women's bathroom? Go all the way.
I concede that, in all likelihood, the vast majority of men that say they are transgendered aren't lying about that and they genuinely aren't sexually interested in females and wouldn't be trying to catch a glimpse of naked girls or women for sexual gratification. However, with that said, there's no way to know if a man that walks in among naked female flesh that says he's "transgendered" is genuinely there just to use the bathroom or take a shower or if he's actually a non-transgendered guy who wants to get a thrill by looking at naked female breasts, butts, and genitalia. I mean, sure, there are some women who are exhibitionists and would get a big thrill at being naked and having a man walk in the locker room and check them out. However, I think the vast majority of women and girls wold be uncomfortable with some dude in the room with them while they have no clothes on. Yes, some guys have never let a sign on a door saying "Women" stop them from sneaking in to look at nude women or rape them. However, that was always a risky thing for them to do with them obviously being a man in a women's locker room as somebody could then summon help. However, with laws that allow men to go into the locker rooms, they don't have to be sneaky about it now, at least as far as being able to ogle females. They've practically been invited into the rooms by politicians wanting to score brownie points with liberal and progressive society.
Sure there is, but in the current climate you'd be accused of transpobia (and probably racism, just because) if you were to point out the obvious: trucker Joe isn't the woman he claims to be because look at him compared to the 120lb post-op trans-woman who's risked, and is risking, 'X' number of *extremely serious* health complications to look the way she looks (and I use 'she' here out of respect). It's also relatively easy to filter out the weirdos, like mid-50 year old men who claim to want to live as if they were a 6 year old girl (I will let you find that one on your own if you want to and haven't already heard about it). But yes, it's the ones you don't suspect that are difficult to weed out. (But also keep in mind that those who are undergoing hormone therapy - for the rest of their lives - will have their libido more-or-less annihilated.) And it's so stupid it's asinine, provided there are strict provisions for what counts as a trans-women (and as I was saying above, the suggestion itself is transphobic, so good luck) this shouldn't be an issue.
From what I understand, a man doesn't have to obviously look like he's attempting to go through a transformation in order to be allowed into the women's restroom. He can still look obviously male. He merely has to SAY he's really a woman inside. It's not external requirements that have to be met. He merely has to "identify" as a woman. In other words, it's a mere CLAIM he has to make. Which a guy who wants to look at women's breasts can easily do if he's called on to explain why he's in the women's locker room or restroom.
Yep, and when (not if) we hear about numerous instances of perverts getting caught peeping at nude women and girls, or even, God forbid, molesting or raping them, I hope LOTS of people rub it in "progressive" politicians' and citizens' faces by saying, "I told you so, moron."
You might think you have seen and heard it all. Just wait when you will have to apologize for being straight.
Yes, because it's not like even the vast majority of nature itself demonstrates that heterosexuality is the normative state, what, with it being required for the usual procreative process and all... :
It's already a sin to be a straight white 'cis' (scum) male. And of course, for some unexplained reason, no one seems to want to talk about female-to-male transgenders oogling men in the man's locker room -.-
I have decided that the descent into Hell is the road of acceptance by others. I know little about the trans community. I've had a couple of trans clients over the years, and sexual identity was never an issue. THis isn't about where to take a pee. THis is about the glorification of self. I'm weary of it.
Indeed. We could start a counter movement bragging to everybody we are so straight and proud of it. How silly that would be, but that's in essence what they are doing. Who wants to know?
You would be labeled a misogynistic, racist, transphobic, homophobic MRA ('Men's Rights Advocate') if you were to try that. RK is right: this has nothing to do with who can use what bathroom.