Apart from the stew about “discrimination” versus “religious freedom” in dealing with the LGBT crowd, there is a separate issue of bathroom use — a function from which none of us can escape.
Transgendered people have the same rights as the rest of us. Should they be given the additional legal right to use any restroom facility that attracts them, regardless of their God-given “plumbing?” Most of us don’t have that right, nor do we want it.
Some want all restrooms to be open to any who wish to use them, regardless of what is on their birth certificate. This allows sexual predators to go into restrooms and prey upon individuals, usually males attacking females. Can we fix this problem?
One solution is a unisex, single-person restroom. Or, possibly acceptable, a multi-person restroom with no male urinals and all of the water closets secure, floor-to-ceiling.
Bathroom standards should be adopted that maintain a level of privacy and decency. Changing our moral codes is unacceptable because of a tiny minority of unconventional people. Politicians need to have the courage to say “no” to legally lowering societal norms.
Special cases will be cited, such as on “60 Minutes,” the well-spoken transgendered swimmer for the Harvard University men’s team who is reported to still have a vagina. However, should public law be changed to accommodate these rare cases? Should the tail wag the dog ?
Thomas Shields, Auburn
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