There’s been quite a bit in the news lately (here and here for instance) about so-called transgender school-children and bathrooms. Which potty does a boy who thinks he’s a girl use?
The whole issue is silly at so many levels. There are certainly people who deal with what psychologists call gender identity disorder (GID), but this typically shows itself in later adolescence or early adulthood. And there are helpful therapeutic protocols for such disorders. But to conclude a school-age child is “transgendered” is rooted more in radical social theory than any kind of science. It’s rooted in poor parenting as well, for when we see such issues in young children, it usually turns out to be much more about the parents – their own issues and permissiveness – rather than the child. This is of course terribly unfortunate for the child.
On top of that, this whole bathroom dust-up is really nothing about what is best for any particular child. It is wholly an issue of school administers coming up against – or in some instances, colluding with – the political and social bullying of gender activists.
There is a very simple solution to this “problem” that has nothing to do with bowing to such radical theories. It already exists in many public buildings in our community and we all use them without the slightest thought.
It’s called a bathroom. A single one-at-time bathroom, just like the ones in these pictures below. They are both exactly the same. Except the first one is the new politically correct version simply because it’s specially titled to make the gender-activists and progressive school officials feel good about themselves.
The second is just simply what it is, a bathroom that either girls or boys can use with out the slightest bit of confusion or uncomfortableness.
It’s just like the bathroom you might find at your doctor’s office or hospital except it’s unceremoniously marked “restroom.”
They rules for using these bathrooms are remarkably simple:
1) If the door’s locked, don’t go in.
2) If not, it’s yours.
“But schools typically don’t have such restrooms!” you might reply. They do in the teacher’s lounge. And does anyone really believe the possible stigma of having to use the teacher’s lounge potty is greater than going to school pretending you’re a girl or boy when you’re not? It’s actually smarter and safer because the teachers are not going to tease the child for using their potty like their peers are nearly guaranteed to, regardless of which one they choose.
This all really comes down to using the lives of children to advance a radical and medically unfounded theory of gender which responsible and compassionate adults just don’t do.
And parents should not feel bad about stopping it.