Media exposure is always a mixed bag, with both good and bad reactions.
Many lawmakers have taken up the battlecry of 'Save our Bathrooms'. State legislators across the nation are pushing for laws that make it a crime for transgenders to enter bathrooms not matching their physical gender at birth.
No consideration is given to their gender identity now or at birth, or in most cases, not even the current state of their physical gender.
What is the logical reasoning behind this? To keep 'real' women and children safe from attacks.
Let's take a closer look. Legislators state that if we allow anyone into the women's bathroom just because they say they 'feel' like a woman, it puts the CIS women in danger. The implication here is that a predator could gain entry into the women's bathroom by being or just pretending to be transgender. Once inside they would have free reign to attack at will. So a law is needed to make entering the bathroom illegal.
It's already illegal to attack someone. In the scenario these lawmakers describe, the predator would be discouraged from the attack because...it's a crime to enter the bathroom?
Let's get into the head of the perp in this situation. Perp - 'OK, I'll just say I'm transgender and then I can get into a bathroom and rape a woman. But it's illegal to enter the bathroom because I was born with a penis. I was willing to risk breaking one law by raping her, but I draw the line at breaking two!'
Legislators rarely mention other aspects of what these laws would do. A transgender woman in the men's room is far more likely to be attacked. Have lawmakers never heard of bullies? In their eye, there is no such thing as transgender men, who would be regulated to using the women's bathroom. How are CIS women going to react to the guy with muscles and a full beard in the bathroom, will she just think 'I guess that man was born with a vagina' ?
What is the biggest problem facing our country and the whole world? Is it the breakdown of family/religion/culture? No, it's fear plain and simple. People who don't understand things fear them. And people do stupid things when they are afraid.
Note: As of the day I posted this both Florida and Minnesota have defeated their bathroom bills, lets hope the others come to their senses.
Note2: I use the term CIS, rather than 'Real' woman or 'Natural' woman. It's a term that has gotten me some flack, but it is intended only to simplify my writing, it's not meant as a label.