Obama govt: US schools must respect transgender ‘identity’ over ‘bathroom laws’

[rooster59]

Obama govt: US schools must respect transgender ‘identity’ over ‘bathroom laws’

By Alasdair Sandford

The US federal government is warning American schools not to discriminate against transgender students, as the row over so-called “bathroom laws” threatens to spread.

It comes as several states are considering following North Carolina in obliging people to use toilets matching their sex at birth.

They are angry at new non-binding guidance from the Obama administration. In a letter from the US Education and Justice departments, school districts nationwide are told that people should be able to use the facilities according to their gender identity.

“There is no room in our schools for discrimination of any kind, including discrimination against transgender students on the basis of their sex,” US Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement. She has drawn a parallel with some US states’ former policies of racial segregation.

The issue has become the latest battleground over civil rights for transgender people, which has mobilised LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) campaigners.

The row also touches on questions of legal authority and raises the likelihood of fights over funding. The attorney general has reportedly warned that schools may face lawsuits or lose federal aid if they do not comply with the guidelines.

Texas has vowed not to adhere to the edict. “(Obama) has set a policy in place that will divide the country, not along political lines, but along family values and school districts,” the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, told reporters in Dallas.

‘‘He says he’s going to withhold funding if schools do not follow the policy. Well in Texas, he can keep his 30 pieces of silver. We will not yield to blackmail from the president of the United States.”

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson described the government’s instruction as “offensive, intrusive and totally lacking in common sense”.

The federal government and North Carolina are suing each other over the state’s law, which has sparked protests and boycotts from musicians such as Bruce Springsteen, and companies such as PayPal Holdings and Deutsche Bank.

North Carolina passed the law in March, the Republican-controlled General Assembly moving to prevent cities and counties in the state from having their own anti-discrimination rules. This followed an ordinance by Charlotte to allow transgender people to use restrooms according to gender identity.

The state’s governor Patrick McCrory has claimed the law is “common sense privacy policy”. Republicans have argued that it is necessary to prevent men from entering women’s toilets.

But civil rights campaigners argue it is blatant discrimination against transgender Americans.

Mississippi has enacted legislation similarly viewed as discriminatory by civil and gay rights groups, and Tennessee and Missouri considered similar measures.

One activist, Wayne Maines, has written about the implications of the North Carolina law, arguing that it endangers the safety of transgender people.

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2016-05-14

[Jingthing]

Obama, yet again, on the right side of history. (Not the right WING bigot side.)

[boomerangutang]

Sign of the times.

[Boon Mee]

How are you going to keep the Pervs out of the bathrooms?

[Jingthing]

How are you going to keep the Pervs out of the bathrooms?

The real pervs are bigoted right wingers making up problems that don't exist to rationalize unfair discrimination against trangender citizens.

[Fookhaht]

How are you going to keep the Pervs out of the bathrooms?

Like they're not already there?

Straw man.

[stander]

Hope and Sex Change

[Boon Mee]

Hope and Sex Change

CiY2QDbUkAIlFWW.jpg

That definitely sums it up.

What a legacy! 55555

[jaidam]

Schools are not the right environment for transexuals. Kids are impressionable, easily swayed by the latest fads and trends. Look at that Bruce Jenner, must be about 60 yrs old and still has absolutely no idea if he's Bruce or she's Caitlin. One minute lopping it off, next sewing it back on? Psychiatric help is urgent for any gender confused before getting the blades out and hacking away. Keep this whole mess far away from schools.

[Scotwight]

How are you going to keep the Pervs out of the bathrooms?

The real pervs are bigoted right wingers making up problems that don't exist to rationalize unfair discrimination against trangender citizens.

If you have a right wing lady boy using the ladies room is that a problem? How are you going to keep the right wingers out of the female toilets? Check to see if they are registered Democrats before allowing them to pee?

[Dagnabbit]

This is very dangerous. It missed a glaring fact.

That 98% of boys who think they are girls, simply grow out of it. And 88% of gender confused girls grow out of it.

So the vast majority of boys don't need access to the girls toilets and locker rooms. They need understanding and nurturing.

This is gender ideology, it is politics. The college of pediatricians has issued this statement condemning gender ideology in children as child abuse: http://www.acpeds.org/the-college-speaks/position-statements/gender-ideology-harms-children

Gender confusion in children is not a sign that they will become true transgenders.

Until this very important fact is addressed, what we have here is the law swinging too far in the opposite direction. By creating an environment where you foster the acting out of gender confusion in kids, you are effectively encouraging their confusion.

Any parent knows that children are fantasists. They act out all kind of fantasies. It's called playing. I had an imaginary friend till I was 7. Percy had to have a plate next to mine at meal times. My parents worried about this because of how many years it carried on. They took me to a doctor who told them it was normal and to just let it play out.

If pediatricians are against this, then which experts are for it? Surely the pediatricians are the experts here. Obama is a politician, this is just misplaced liberal ideology playing out.

[Boon Mee]

It's a bad law that needs to be struck down ASAP

http://www.fpiw.org/blog/2016/01/06/bathroom-rule-its-worse-than-we-thought/

Edited May 14, 2016 by Boon Mee

[thaihome]

This is very dangerous. It missed a glaring fact.

That 98% of boys who think they are girls, simply grow out of it. And 88% of gender confused girls grow out of it.

So the vast majority of boys don't need access to the girls toilets and locker rooms. They need understanding and nurturing.

This is gender ideology, it is politics. The college of pediatricians has issued this statement condemning gender ideology in children as child abuse: http://www.acpeds.org/the-college-speaks/position-statements/gender-ideology-harms-children

Gender confusion in children is not a sign that they will become true transgenders.

Until this very important fact is addressed, what we have here is the law swinging too far in the opposite direction. By creating an environment where you foster the acting out of gender confusion in kids, you are effectively encouraging their confusion.

Any parent knows that children are fantasists. They act out all kind of fantasies. It's called playing. I had an imaginary friend till I was 7. Percy had to have a plate next to mine at meal times. My parents worried about this because of how many years it carried on. They took me to a doctor who told them it was normal and to just let it play out.

If pediatricians are against this, then which experts are for it? Surely the pediatricians are the experts here. Obama is a politician, this is just misplaced liberal ideology playing out.

I don't disagree that is politics, but:

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2016/03/28/speaking-of-bad-science-never-trust-the-american-college-of-pediatricians/

I know! It sounds so official and sciencey! Its got college in it, which is formal and academic, and pediatricians, which are a kind of doctor, and you can never go wrong slapping American on your brand label. But they are a lie.

Its also because the ACP is not a legitimate medical organization; its name is designed to be mistaken for the American Academy of Pediatrics, which is a national organization with some 60,000 members. The ACP, by contrast, is estimated to have no more than 200 members, and it has been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center for its anti-LGBT positions.

The American College of Pediatricians urges educators and legislators to reject all policies that condition children to accept as normal a life of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite sex, the statement reads. Facts not ideology determine reality. The facts that follow actually reflect a social conservative ideology that rejects the very reality of what transgender children experience.

Theyve issued a statement that transgender kids are being harmed, based on claims that believing you are of a gender other than the one you were born with is a mental disorder (psychologists disagree), that its just a phase kids go through (nope, again thats based on some bad studies), and that sex reassignment surgery, rather than discrimination and hatred, triggers suicide at a high rate (you can figure that one out).

Im all in favor of facts. Unfortunately, painting the word fact on a lie does not make it true.

TH

[stander]

This is typical of Liberals to try and blur the lines. The world is fighting Islamic terrorism, starvation and disease and Liberals are fighting for men to piss in the ladies rest-room

Edited May 14, 2016 by stander

[simon43]

Whilst there would be a construction cost involved, would it not be better in the longer term to alter all existing bathrooms so that they become individual, gender-neutral, toilets, each with their own entrance? So do away with the shared bathroom, and create individual stalls with a basin and mirror and door that only provides access to that stall.

This debate will never be resolved - take a sledgehammer to the existing bathroom/toilet facilities.

Or will the LGBTs cry foul and say that demolishing/altering the existing facilities is discriminatory because it won't allow a pervert to undress in front of the 'real' girls?

Now if I were a 'chick with a dick', I'd want to keep my 'privates' .... er ...... private!

[Jingthing]

Schools are not the right environment for transexuals. Kids are impressionable, easily swayed by the latest fads and trends. Look at that Bruce Jenner, must be about 60 yrs old and still has absolutely no idea if he's Bruce or she's Caitlin. One minute lopping it off, next sewing it back on? Psychiatric help is urgent for any gender confused before getting the blades out and hacking away. Keep this whole mess far away from schools.

So, according to you, kids who don't identify with their gender at birth should not be allowed to get an education?

That's got to be one the most hateful, totally fascist sentiments I've heard on this topic. Wow. The extent of the ignorance and hate of transphobics sometimes boggles the mind.

[Jingthing]

This is typical of Liberals to try and blur the lines. The world is fighting Islamic terrorism, starvation and disease and Liberals are fighting for men to piss in the ladies rest-room

Governments can do multiple things, but you're characterization of this issue is a big lie. It's about fair access to facilities for transgender citizens.

[Boon Mee]

It boggles the mind that any parent of an 8 year old girl would feel comfortable with an adult man sharing their kid's bathroom experience.

[dutchisaan]

There are a lot of racist, small minded "people" on this form. But than, the will vote for Trump.

Edited May 14, 2016 by dutchisaan

[up2u2]

lol Oh man the religious nutty old white Right Wingers will be losing their minds.

It isn't a big deal. If a person identifies as a female they use the female toilets if a person identifies as a male they use the male toilets.

Now just pop a tablet under your tongue the world is not going to end.

Problem solved. Next

[Boon Mee]

Obama's Legacy : Tyrant

“President Obama, in the dark of the night – without consulting Congress, without consulting educators, without consulting parents – decides to issue an executive order, like this superintendent, forcing transgender policies on schools and on parents who clearly don’t want it,”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/05/13/straight-into-the-paper-shredder-texans-the-first-to-decry-obamas-school-directive-about-transgender-bathrooms/

[stander]

Liberals need to take their misguided agenda out of the rest-room. There are only two genders, why be politically correct, when you can be right.

Edited May 14, 2016 by stander

[Boon Mee]

No one could have imagined that Obama would be so desperate to stoop to rewriting the Civil Rights Act.

Simply amazing!

[up2u2]

Schools are not the right environment for transexuals. Kids are impressionable, easily swayed by the latest fads and trends. Look at that Bruce Jenner, must be about 60 yrs old and still has absolutely no idea if he's Bruce or she's Caitlin. One minute lopping it off, next sewing it back on? Psychiatric help is urgent for any gender confused before getting the blades out and hacking away. Keep this whole mess far away from schools.

Schools are the perfect place. Fact is if this was in place when you were at school you wouldn't have turned out so bigoted and uneducated on the issue of transgender.

Louie Theroux did an absolutely beautiful mini doco with American transgender children. Bless each and every one of those beautiful children. My heart went out to each and every one of them. Anything that can be done to facilitate helping these children along their difficult confusing journey should be willingly done.

Obama should be congratulated. A VERY courageous stand knowing full well the bigots will totally lose their minds.

[willyumiii]

How are you going to keep the Pervs out of the bathrooms?

Post a sign that says:

REPUBLICAN SENATORS ANS HOUSE MEMBERS PROHIBITED

They have been in the news for illicit sex in bathrooms....not transgender people.

More Republican Politicians Than Trans People Have Been Arrested For Sex Acts in Bathrooms

April 11, 2016 by Terry Firma 405 Comments

All the recent political and social commotion about transgender people and bathrooms is even sillier when you look at the numbers. How many trans people have been arrested for sex acts in bathrooms? As best as we can tell, zero.

How many GOP politicians? At least three.

[phantomfiddler]

How are you going to keep the Pervs out of the bathrooms?

Don,t go in

[willyumiii]

What a shame that the idea that all people should be respected is so controversial i The United States.

[mesterm]

Hope and Sex Change

CiY2QDbUkAIlFWW.jpg

Your age is showing, that's for sure. Welcome to the future.

[lostinisaan]

It comes as several school toilets are considering following nobody in obliging people to use toilets matching their sex at birth.

[willyumiii]

This is very dangerous. It missed a glaring fact.

That 98% of boys who think they are girls, simply grow out of it. And 88% of gender confused girls grow out of it.

So the vast majority of boys don't need access to the girls toilets and locker rooms. They need understanding and nurturing.

This is gender ideology, it is politics. The college of pediatricians has issued this statement condemning gender ideology in children as child abuse: http://www.acpeds.org/the-college-speaks/position-statements/gender-ideology-harms-children

Gender confusion in children is not a sign that they will become true transgenders.

Until this very important fact is addressed, what we have here is the law swinging too far in the opposite direction. By creating an environment where you foster the acting out of gender confusion in kids, you are effectively encouraging their confusion.

Any parent knows that children are fantasists. They act out all kind of fantasies. It's called playing. I had an imaginary friend till I was 7. Percy had to have a plate next to mine at meal times. My parents worried about this because of how many years it carried on. They took me to a doctor who told them it was normal and to just let it play out.

If pediatricians are against this, then which experts are for it? Surely the pediatricians are the experts here. Obama is a politician, this is just misplaced liberal ideology playing out.

Millions of adults never grow out of the imaginary friend stage.