Bathroom issues across the nation

Editorial | March 2nd, 2016

Gender and sexuality have always been a hot button issue.. wait, let’s rephrase that. Sexuality has always been a hot button issue and a hot topic in gossip and conversation, but gender has been generating a lot of buzz in mainstream conversation as of late, thanks to Caitlyn Jenner.

The two do tend go hand in hand. Sure, one can assume that we’ve all been assigned a biological gender. Nurseries have been color coded for generations, but what happens when society no longer fits in a petal pink or powder blue environment? Is there a broader spectrum and how does everyone fit in?

South Dakota’s Gov. Dennis Daugaard recently vetoed a bill that proposed a law that would have put South Dakota on the map as the first law in the U.S. to approves law that required all students to use showers and bathrooms assigned to their biological gender.

According to USA Today “‘bathroom law’ fights have been launched in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.”

Sure, gender identity is a complicated and uncomfortable issue, but it is an issue that needs to be addressed.There are enough pressures in high school, and if you’re not in the right crowd there are already enough factors working against you, but when your home state isn’t supporting your “team”--isn’t that called discrimination?

Unfortunately miracles of acceptance can’t happen overnight, so why not have a men’s room, a women’s room, and a gender neutral room? Showering in a group of people in high school is awkward.. heck, showering with a group of people is awkward no matter what age you are. Being in your most vulnerable state around people you hardly know? That sure doesn’t keep me feeling clean and fresh.

One concern with said “bathroom laws” is the fear that male predators will find their way into the locker room or bathroom. Yes, male predators can be a concern no matter where you are. In fact, while in college, a good friend was assaulted in the ninth floor bathroom of an all girl dorm. She suffered a concussion and her only recollection was seeing “boy shoes” walking away from her floor level vantage point. Naturally since then security measures have been increased.

Believe it or not, transgender individuals are quite often the subject of harassment, wouldn’t one suspect that the harassment would go on especially behind closed doors? Wouldn’t it make sense to have a gender neutral bathroom available for the safety, comfort and well being of transgender students? Or are we just trying to build character by not talking about it?

Unfortunately, Ozzie and Harriet’s gender roles are outdated, in fact they have been for the past 40 years. With both men and women in the workplace man is not the sole breadwinner. Stay at home dads are a reality and not all women feel they were placed on this earth to raise children, some boys might want to wear dresses, and some girls might want to wear breeches. It’s all a culmination of what makes us all human.

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