So Bruce Jenner becomes Kaitlyn Jenner and the cheese ball
joke heard around the world was, “I wonder what bathroom he/she will use?”
(insert moronic laugh here). What few realized was that was the exact thing
thousands, not millions, were dying to bring up and capitalized on Jenner’s
transformation as the opportunity of a lifetime. Then all the major news
outlets picked it up and the avalanche began. You cannot turn on morning TV without the transgender
bathroom fight popping up. Now the President has weighed in through executive
order. And even less surprising than our president weighing in on a liberal issue and interfering with states' rights, Texas is probably going to sue the federal government over it.
Current state leadership is proclaiming that keeping bathroom integrity
is a top issue for the state when the legislature comes into town. I am not happy. Not only as a mother but as a
rational, educated woman the thought that this issue even ranks high enough to
be mentioned disturbs me. I live in Austin, the liberal mecca of Texas. It is
also a place where public the school system is facing financial challenges, our
roads are insufficient, health care is mess, the list could go on but- don't worry-the state will make sure our bathrooms are safe.
Bad men sneak into women’s restrooms; it is not a new thing.
As a kid, my mom would always check the bathrooms before I walked in to protect
me. I do the same for my kids. Bad men will always break the law, their intent
to cause harm and steal the innocence of a child will not be deterred if some
man who believes himself to be a woman and dresses as such is peeing in the
stall next to mine.
Bad men lay in wait in men’s restrooms too. There is a
reason I make my son talk to me when he is in the men’s restroom and I have to
wait outside the door. There is also a reason I ask my kids to hold my hand
when we cross parking lots, why I do not let my daughter dress according to
current standards of appropriateness, why I apply sunscreen to their young
skin: it is because I love them and want to keep them safe from all harm. I am
smart enough to know that I cannot totally protect them but I will do all in my
power to keep them safe. And I reserve the right to tear apart anyone who hurts my children.
Bad men and women exist in this world and if they are intent
on causing harm they will do so in bathrooms, at malls, in parking lots, in
movie theaters, in their own homes and within their own families. Our country
is struggling with its divided citizenry warring amongst itself: some to be all
inclusive and some want boundaries and borders not only recognized but
respected including the boundaries of bathrooms. It is sad. We have real issues to be addressed and this distraction is seen as a serious policy issue.
Hello, ever hear of ISIS? They want us dead. No negotiation. They scare me and they should scare you. The
transgendered person in the bathroom may offend your beliefs of right and wrong
but they likely will not do you harm. I am sorry I am not more sympathetic, I
have kids to raise, work to do and love to share.
