It's no secret that there are a slew of social issues being debated in out country today. Among them is the question : should public bathrooms be gender neutral? Just like every other issue brought to light the public, the media and Government officials everywhere cannot wait to give their opinion on the matter. When speaking on issues like this, it can be difficult to remember that the issue is not black and white and it is nearly impossible to present facts instead of opinion and emotional testimony. If you search gender neutral bathrooms into google you will find several opinion based articles on the issue, here are some that argue for and against having Gender Neutral Bathrooms.
In the article "Gender Neutral Bathrooms Are Dangerous" by Elizabeth Vliet,M.D., it is stated that only "There are approximately 700,000 transgender people in the U.S., representing about 0.3 percent of the entire population..."(Vliet, 2016). While reading this article it became clear that Vliet was appealing to the mothers and fathers in the U.S who have daughters that could possibly be the victim of a sexually driven crime. She points out the possibility that any man can claim that he is gender fluid and go into a women's bathroom and attack vulnerable women.She is quite aggressive in her campaign to keep men and women in separate bathrooms. In her expert opinion "At the time transgender patients have undergone surgery to become their new gender, it is then appropriate to use the bathroom facilities for their gender reassignment. Until then, common sense and public safety should require those with male genitalia (regardless of self-perception) use men’s bathrooms, and those with female genitalia should use women’s bathrooms"(Vliet, 2016). Vliet is currently a physician who received training in sexual medicine consulting. In her work she has found that sexual urges are unpredictable, and it is nearly impossible to determine who will have them and when (Vliet,2016). She is using her expertise as a tactic to persuade her audience to listen to her and see her opinions more as facts. This is played off as more of a fact based and medical article but it is peppered with her personal opinions against Gender Neutral Bathrooms.
Now lets look at the other end of the spectrum. We have explored the analytical fact based argument against G.N bathrooms, now we will look at the argument from a feminist viewpoint. In the article " The Crucial Problem We're Forgetting in The Trans Bathroom Debate" by Delia Melody, the approach is more emotional. The author opens by stating that they them-self are transgender. This article is aimed at the "cis" population who are not on board with the idea of transgender folks using the bathroom of their chosen gender. Melody points out that one of the biggest arguments against gender neutral bathrooms is that women could be attacked by the transgender men entering the bathroom, she then states "I’d say it’s never hurt anyone, but that wouldn’t be true. Ironically, however, every single person who has gotten hurt has been a transgender victim of transphobic violence"( Melody, 2016). There have been no cases of a trans person attacking a "cis" person before so the author feels that the fear is undeserving(Melody,2016). While reading this article, it is obvious that the author uses both logic and emotion to advocate their side. This article is a little more of a personal testimony than the article against Gender Neutral Bathrooms.
As I mentioned earlier, this is not a black and white issue, there are so many things to consider and nothing is going to change right away. Both sides defend their beliefs with passionate conviction and are unbending. Both authors employed tactics that effectively pulled their audience in. After reading them and putting aside any previous biases,it is hard not to sympathize with both sides.
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Sources
Melody, A. D. (2016, May 28). The Crucial Problem We're Forgetting In the Trans Bathroom Debate. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from http://everydayfeminism.com/2016/05/trans-bathroom-debate-problem/
Vliet, E. (2016, April 12). Doc: ‘Gender neutral’ bathrooms are dangerous. Retrieved October 14, 2016, from http://www.wnd.com/2016/04/doc-gender-neutral-bathrooms-are-dangerous/
