Public Restrooms in the USA and Transgenderism and Ethical Concerns

  • Thread starter Thread starter mommamaree
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

mommamaree

Guest
Hello all. I think this is the first thread I have started in this particular sub-forum.

Regarding public restrooms in the USA, several states are now passing legislation that not only allows transgender persons to use public restrooms for the gender they identify with, regardless of what their biological gender at birth was, and whether or not they have had a sex-change operation, but also threatens being charged with a hate crime those who complain. This is very concerning to many people, no matter what political or religious views they may hold.

So my question is, how should we as Catholics handle this cultural sea change? As a female, if I saw anyone appearing to be a male in the ladies’ restroom, I would leave immediately and report him. Even if the person was clothed in women’s clothing, and trying to appear as a woman, if they were physically male in appearance, I would automatically interpret his presence as a threat to my safety and that of my daughters and other females present. But in at least one well-publicized incident recently, teen girls at a public school were threatened with being charged with a hate crime when they complained of a transgender male-to-female (no surgery) using their restroom, when he was making comments that made them feel threatened in the restroom. I am concerned about the protected class status of transgender people with regards to restrooms and locker rooms in public places, and how that clashes with the rights of females to protect their dignity, modesty, and safety.
In concrete terms, what should we as Catholics be doing, as these laws sweep across our nation? How can we stay sane and compassionate and safe? Any thoughts?
Thanks!
 
Honestly, I HATE public restrooms… I don’t pay much attention to who is using the restroom. Of course, I would notice a man in the ladies room, but if said man was dressed in drag, I probably wouldn’t notice. Public restrooms make me uncomfortable and I get in and get out FAST.
 
I think the “uni-sex” public facilities are a problem. I simply want to get in and out of a restroom as soon as possible, and I think they should be male - vs - female. That said, I am not sure what we can do about it. I certainly think expressing a concern of one’s safety due to the presence of another person should not be viewed as a “hate crime.” That is simple non-sense.

I guess we must be sure if we do have to express our concerns we become even more generic than this country seems to be now. Perhaps all we can state is that there is a person or stranger in the restroom that is making us feel unsafe because of what they are saying or wearing. (That is as generic as I can get.)

In my opinion anyone who is in a public restroom should not be doing a whole lot to draw attention to themselves. (Regardless of sexual orientation.) Hopefully most folks just go in, take care of business and exit in silence. If someone makes me nervous or feel threatened I will leave. It is sad that we can’t seem to say anything about anything anymore.
 
Your post claims the teenage girls were threatened with charges of a “hate crime”… this makes zero sense. I believe you must recheck your facts…
 
mommamaree said:
Hello all. I think this is the first thread I have started in this particular sub-forum.

Regarding public restrooms in the USA, several states are now passing legislation that not only allows transgender persons to use public restrooms for the gender they identify with, regardless of what their biological gender at birth was, and whether or not they have had a sex-change operation, but also threatens being charged with a hate crime those who complain. This is very concerning to many people, no matter what political or religious views they may hold.

So my question is, how should we as Catholics handle this cultural sea change? As a female, if I saw anyone appearing to be a male in the ladies’ restroom, I would leave immediately and report him. Even if the person was clothed in women’s clothing, and trying to appear as a woman, if they were physically male in appearance, I would automatically interpret his presence as a threat to my safety and that of my daughters and other females present. But in at least one well-publicized incident recently, teen girls at a public school were threatened with being charged with a hate crime when they complained of a transgender male-to-female (no surgery) using their restroom, when he was making comments that made them feel threatened in the restroom. I am concerned about the protected class status of transgender people with regards to restrooms and locker rooms in public places, and how that clashes with the rights of females to protect their dignity, modesty, and safety.
In concrete terms, what should we as Catholics be doing, as these laws sweep across our nation? How can we stay sane and compassionate and safe? Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Yes indeed liberalism is a mental disorder. The current main stream culture is insane. My advice is don’t get caught alone in the loo. You could always make sure to take a straight female along with you to stand guard, and the tougher she is the better. In public places this is going to be a huge problem. And be sure to go to Catholic or other religious schools. Always carry a heavy pointed umbrella with you to the loo and be prepared to use it. You know what I mean. And don’t mess around. At the first threat aim to hurt - bad. Go for the " sweet " spot if possible, eyes next. Carry a huge, solidly built hat pin with you or an extra big safety pin. And don’t be afraid to use it. I knew an old lady who warded off a bag snatcher when she jamed her huge hat pin into his arm. I about died laughing.

Linus2nd

Linus2nd
 
Not only the bathroom but locker rooms too.

What would you do if you walked into the woman’s locker room and saw a man sitting there with his penis out?

kirotv.com/news/news/transgender-woman-told-leave-womens-locker-room/nSWT4/
In concrete terms, what should we as Catholics be doing, as these laws sweep across our nation? How can we stay sane and compassionate and safe? Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
And what is to stop a man from claiming that he is “transgender” so he can go in the ladies room?
 
maryjk said:
Not only the bathroom but locker rooms too.

What would you do if you walked into the woman’s locker room and saw a man sitting there with his penis out?
Click to expand...
I’m sorry. :o This has so many comic possibilities. 😊
 
on_the_hill said:
I’m sorry. :o This has so many comic possibilities. 😊
Click to expand...
Only if you are a guy.

As a woman, this scares the heck out of me.

Think about it.

A guy walks into the ladies room. Makes unwanted advances. A woman screams or gets upset or whatever. And the guy claims, “I didn’t do anything. I was just in here because I feel I am a woman. She needs to get over it.”

What do the police do? Nothing, and the guy is free to go on groping woman.
 
maryjk said:
Only if you are a guy.

As a woman, this scares the heck out of me.

Think about it.

A guy walks into the ladies room. Makes unwanted advances. A woman screams or gets upset or whatever. And the guy claims, “I didn’t do anything. I was just in here because I feel I am a woman. She needs to get over it.”

What do the police do? Nothing, and the guy is free to go on groping woman.
Click to expand...
Correction.

What do the police do? Arrest the woman for “hate crimes.”
 
maryjk said:
Only if you are a guy.
Click to expand...
Which I am.
maryjk said:
As a woman, this scares the heck out of me.

Think about it.

A guy walks into the ladies room. Makes unwanted advances. A woman screams or gets upset or whatever. And the guy claims, “I didn’t do anything. I was just in here because I feel I am a woman. She needs to get over it.”

What do the police do? Nothing, and the guy is free to go on groping woman.
Click to expand...
Well, I doubt it would get to that point. Unwanted advances happen all the time, and 99.9% of the time, the guy denies it happened. Charges may be filed, nonetheless. A woman could make unwanted advances toward another woman and use the same excuse, couldn’t she? She’s not immune from the law.

At any rate, I don’t like the idea of transgendered bathrooms either.
 
runningdude said:
Your post claims the teenage girls were threatened with charges of a “hate crime”… this makes zero sense. I believe you must recheck your facts…
Click to expand...
Why would that not make sense? In these legalistic, lawyer fed times it is highly likely. All it seems one has to do these days is have a funny look on their face because something smells bad, and they can be accused of profiling, making a threatening gesture, being disruptive etc. If the girls stated that it looked like a man dressed like a woman was in the “loo” with them, or that this person looked like a “weirdo” out of sheer fear or fright I am sure that someone could have decided to classify them as at risk for being charged with a hate crime. That is why I had stated in my reply to this poster that we seem to have to make generic comments about everything these days. No one seems able to take clear cut statements about anything anymore. “Whishy-washy” is the tone.

I once made decisions that involved trying to protect an entire office staff from what we all thought was a “loose raging fool” threatening us from a parking lot via cell phone. No supervisors where on hand to assist us (imagine that), and I advised everyone to hangup on this person and call the police. Long story short I almost got fired for being over-reactive and tending to “panic.” The would be threat got a gift certificate as an apology from the place I worked for. Guess what:

A week later this fools picture was posted everywhere as a dangerous individual, with a record of violent behavior and other crimes. The post included a warning that he was to be considered armed and dangerous. So much for my over-reaction.

I believe the girls were threatened as stated and am much more concerned with all our safety in public toilets. I use them only out of desperation.
 
I walked into the bathroom to find a male looking around. I left to check if I was in the wrong bathroom but nope it was a male in the women’s bathroom. I reentered to find him washing his hands he looked at me and said “is this the women’s” I said yes and left.

There was nothing I could do as Colorado has a law that men cannot be barred from using whatever bathroom they want .:mad:

These politically correct laws have results that these lawmakers were to stupid to consider. What I think might happen is the use of family bathrooms. That is what I take my grandchildren to when available. 🙂

We still have freedom of speech unlike Canada where speech can be used to charge a person with a hate crime.
 
Cricket2 said:
I believe the girls were threatened as stated…
Click to expand...
How can you form a belief one way or the other unless you personally knew the people involved? What we have here is a lot of reporting from biased sources (biased on both sides of the issue, actually). Here is the most even-handed treatment of the story I found in a brief search.

It is entirely possible that the two girls in question considered the mere presence of the transgender kid to be harassment on ideological grounds. Furthermore, harassment of girls by girls is not entirely unheard-of in high school either. If there was real harassment, then it can be handled as such, regardless of the transgender issue. In the meantime it is best not to get all up in arms over something that may not have even happened. Due to privacy concerns for minors, the school is not releasing definitive information on this incident. Any speculation on our part is only speculation.
 
adrift said:
I walked into the bathroom to find a male looking around. I left to check if I was in the wrong bathroom but nope it was a male in the women’s bathroom. I reentered to find him washing his hands he looked at me and said “is this the women’s” I said yes and left.

There was nothing I could do as Colorado has a law that men cannot be barred from using whatever bathroom they want .:mad:

These politically correct laws have results that these lawmakers were to stupid to consider. What I think might happen is the use of family bathrooms. That is what I take my grandchildren to when available. 🙂

We still have freedom of speech unlike Canada where speech can be used to charge a person with a hate crime.
Click to expand...
I am Canadian and I have never heard of such a law. If the Canadians start having trouble with their laws it will be because we have too many Lawyers from this country trying to meddle in Canada’s way of doing things. Same with the health care.
 
Cricket2 said:
I think the “uni-sex” public facilities are a problem. I simply want to get in and out of a restroom as soon as possible, and I think they should be male - vs - female. That said, I am not sure what we can do about it. I certainly think expressing a concern of one’s safety due to the presence of another person should not be viewed as a “hate crime.” That is simple non-sense.

It is sad that we can’t seem to say anything about anything anymore.
Click to expand...
It is sad to me that the church feels about the same way… ‘not much that can be done to change things’, and eventually they just become accepted, with little resistance from anyone, when really the church and all its members should be in the streets, with torches and pitchforks LOL

Gay marriage is going to legally protected in all states before too long, and they may even force the catholic church to marry gay couples, abortion is similar, in short, our world is in very bad shape, but the catholic church does not seem to be doing anything about any of it, or if they are, they are not having any luck.

I wonder if ANY issue will ever come up that will force the church to fight back in a more aggressive manner, like it once did in times past. I truly believe even if laws are created that force catholic churches to hold gay marriages, I do not see the church taking any more action than it does now on similar issues, sure they will whine and cry at first, fight in courtrooms, but in the end, the Govt will win and Id bet my paycheck the church would then obey the law…sad.
 
mikekle said:
It is sad to me that the church feels about the same way… ‘not much that can be done to change things’, and eventually they just become accepted, with little resistance from anyone, when really the church and all its members should be in the streets, with torches and pitchforks LOL

Gay marriage is going to legally protected in all states before too long, and they may even force the catholic church to marry gay couples, abortion is similar, in short, our world is in very bad shape, but the catholic church does not seem to be doing anything about any of it, or if they are, they are not having any luck.

I wonder if ANY issue will ever come up that will force the church to fight back in a more aggressive manner, like it once did in times past. I truly believe even if laws are created that force catholic churches to hold gay marriages, I do not see the church taking any more action than it does now on similar issues, sure they will whine and cry at first, fight in courtrooms, but in the end, the Govt will win and Id bet my paycheck the church would then obey the law…sad.
Click to expand...
Hold on a minute! Let’s not put public restroom policy on the same level as abortion and gay marriage policy. I am glad the Church is not getting into such a petty argument as who is allowed to pee where.
 
mikekle said:
It is sad to me that the church feels about the same way… ‘not much that can be done to change things’, and eventually they just become accepted, with little resistance from anyone, when really the church and all its members should be in the streets, with torches and pitchforks LOL

Gay marriage is going to legally protected in all states before too long, and they may even force the catholic church to marry gay couples, abortion is similar, in short, our world is in very bad shape, but the catholic church does not seem to be doing anything about any of it, or if they are, they are not having any luck.

I wonder if ANY issue will ever come up that will force the church to fight back in a more aggressive manner, like it once did in times past. I truly believe even if laws are created that force catholic churches to hold gay marriages, I do not see the church taking any more action than it does now on similar issues, sure they will whine and cry at first, fight in courtrooms, but in the end, the Govt will win and Id bet my paycheck the church would then obey the law…sad.
Click to expand...
I would think that forcing the Catholic Church to hold gay marriages would be against the Constitution of this country. But, it appears that no one understands the Constitution or the concept of "Separation OF Church and State. To me neither the Church nor the States seem to understand the Constitution and this particular rule.
 
mommamaree said:
Hello all. I think this is the first thread I have started in this particular sub-forum.

Regarding public restrooms in the USA, several states are now passing legislation that not only allows transgender persons to use public restrooms for the gender they identify with, regardless of what their biological gender at birth was, and whether or not they have had a sex-change operation, but also threatens being charged with a hate crime those who complain. This is very concerning to many people, no matter what political or religious views they may hold.

So my question is, how should we as Catholics handle this cultural sea change? As a female, if I saw anyone appearing to be a male in the ladies’ restroom, I would leave immediately and report him. Even if the person was clothed in women’s clothing, and trying to appear as a woman, if they were physically male in appearance, I would automatically interpret his presence as a threat to my safety and that of my daughters and other females present. But in at least one well-publicized incident recently, teen girls at a public school were threatened with being charged with a hate crime when they complained of a transgender male-to-female (no surgery) using their restroom, when he was making comments that made them feel threatened in the restroom. I am concerned about the protected class status of transgender people with regards to restrooms and locker rooms in public places, and how that clashes with the rights of females to protect their dignity, modesty, and safety.
In concrete terms, what should we as Catholics be doing, as these laws sweep across our nation? How can we stay sane and compassionate and safe? Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
One other idea, always pack a pistol, get a small one, 32. or 22., double action, and learn how to use it. It may not kill but it will stop any attack. Don’t aim, just point and shoot. And keep shooting until empty.

Linus2nd
 
LeafByNiggle said:
Hold on a minute! Let’s not put public restroom policy on the same level as abortion and gay marriage policy. I am glad the Church is not getting into such a petty argument as who is allowed to pee where.
Click to expand...
Of course, it is not the same thing, but it is a step in a particular direction, a direction weve been headed for a long time. God knows where it will lead.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top