Transgender people deserve privacy, dignity in public bathrooms

In April 2011 Augusta Georgia, Jennifer Levi, transgender rights project director (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders) addressed the Judiciary Committee to let businesses, schools, and other agencies make their own decisions on who should use their restrooms and showers. People who identify their gender that does not correspond to their birth gender should deserve the same privacy. Although a small minority, the public does not know about their circumstances , so misconceptions and fears about those who are transgender are often brought up. Though the intent is guided to ease the tensions surrounding this issue, there are some issues.

In the AoKs, this article brings up both questions of Natural Science and Ethics . How is gender determined? By the biological aspects or by the individual's characteristics? If the agencies of a place determines who should use their restrooms, how is this problem going to be solved? Shouldn't the individual be able to choose which bathroom they are more comfortable going into?

In terms of gender, many would argue that your gender corresponds to the one you were born with, hence biological gender. If one is born with the sexual organs of a female, in terms of biology, she is a female. However nowadays, many would also argue, gender is determined by the characteristics of a person and socially and SEX refers to the biological characteristics of the individual. However, this posses another problem, if one chooses their gender regardless of sex, who should be the one to check on each individual before entering the restrooms.

Will a restaurant manager confront a person who looks like a man entering the women’s room and demand to know his or her biological sex? “Who’s going to be the gender police?” asked a local transgender woman, in discussing the proposal. It’s a good question. If there were to be such a "police" going to the restroom would take a long time and might spark some problems in unwanted places. Also the efficiency of bathrooms would deteriorate as people use it to urgently release of human "waste". A local transgender man asked another good question: “Do I want to break the law or use the women’s room?” (Just to clear confusion, a transgender man is sexually a female whose gender identity is male). So should each individual be able to decide which bathroom they are most comfortable with or not? In some cases transgender woman are comfortable going to the women bathroom, but some may be more comfortable going to the men's. However, it is and should be behavior that is the standard, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. If someone is peeking over a stall, he or she is clearly breaking the rules. If this was accepted, then many other people may take advantage of such rules and eventually use this to make sexual assaults in bathrooms. The threat of a man dressing as a woman to gain access to a women’s locker room may happen. In my opinion I believe that the "handicap" bathroom should also be used for transgender people, as it is currently a minority and it does not effect or discomfort other people. Like this problems will be reduced a significant amount. NOT TO SAY that transgender people are handicaps, but instead of creating another bathroom sign for transgenders, it will solve the problem in an easier manner.

Under the current system, gay men use men’s rooms, lesbian women use women’s rooms. And most parents have the mother bring their boys (if young) into women’s rooms. Although this causes people less discomfort as one's sexual attraction may be unknown it still posses a similar problem. Should gay people go to the women's room and vice versa? Fortunately there haven't been many homosexual rape cases in bathrooms so it doesn't pose a big problem. In conclusion it is and should be behavior that is the standard, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. Unfortunately not all people are responsible and act appropriately.