Currently the citizens living in the United States are imprisoned within the binary of two genders. It is only acceptable for a person to identify as a male or a female. Depending on the gender the person identifies, as there is an expectation of how that person should look and act. The person identifying as the specific gender, must maintain the gender norms that are in place. These gender binaries are so prevalent in our lives; it is to the point where a large group of Americans are being overlooked. This group of Americans identifies as transgender, which means they do not fit society’s expectations of how a specific gender should look and behave. (gaycenter.org, 2012). The trans population does not fit the expected gender molds that are …show more content…
By only giving the choice of using a Men’s or a Women’s bathroom it has further enforced the gender binary: “In the moment that one must choose between two doors—one marked “men” and one marked “women”—the binary construction of gender is never more blatantly enforced” (Herman, 2012, p.25). When someone is presented with only two choices of restrooms, it is enforcing the ideals that those are the only two options a person can be. Also these gender binaries are shaming anyone who does not fit into them. These gender binaries are so normalized and engrained in society that they lead to inadequate bathroom access for transgender people throughout the United States. The trans people are the ones who do not fit society’s gender norms and they are being isolated, because of …show more content…
This however, only aggravates the difficulties that already exist within the changes occurring, because it causes some to feel uncomfortable at the thought of two different sexes sharing one bathroom at the same time. Although this is often not the case, because the transgender person will often if not always use the bathroom they feel best matches their gender. (Transequality, 2016). It is common misinterpretations such as these that are averting people from supporting and understanding how simple the issue is. Like everyone else the trans population would like equal access to public restrooms. No one should have to fit into a gender binary in order to feel comfortable completing everyday activities, such as using the
Transgendered people in America have made many great strides since the 1990s. They have encountered violence, lack of health care, and the loss of homes, jobs, family and friends. There have been many phases of the struggle of being transgendered in America over the years. The current phase we must be in now is equal rights. There are many variations of discrimination against the transgendered community. In our society we simply do not like what we do not understand. It is easier to discriminate than to try and understand. We are all created different and we should appreciate our differences. The change must come by addressing the views of the public. There is much justification in the unequal rights of transgendered peoples. The Human Rights Campaign has been started to achieve equal rights for all Americans including the LGBQ community. A serious injustice is in the world of sports. Professional sports are one of societies major traditions totally based on rules and regulations that are meant to preserve the integrality of the games, but may not be inclusive to all its players.
In order for people of opposite genitals to use the same facility, changes for privacy should be made. American public restrooms have huge gaps in between the doors and stall dividers. These gaps do not allow for adequate privacy. Urinals with no dividers offer no privacy. Transgender people want privacy just as much as Cisgender people. Companies might balk at the cost of remodeling restrooms. It is the time that companies update the bathrooms regardless of the transgender bathroom issue. The majority of people keep their privates private. The people that are flashing their privates around are going to do so whether they are in a restroom or not. Changes should be made in all restrooms that do not allow complete privacy. Other than installing adequate stalls and dividers for privacy no major changes would need to be made for unisex or gender neutral restrooms. If privacy issues are addressed, then there would be no stigma of using a gender-neutral
“The federal government and almost every state recognize transgender people’s right to change their name and to have identification documents with the gender marker that matches their gender identity.” (Jami Kathleen Taylor, 2007) There are a lot of misconceptions on what the meaning of transgender is, some think that they only become the person whether it is male to female, or female to male after surgery. What people fail to realize is that every transgender person transitions in their own way.
Bathrooms are a necessary part of one’s life; however could public restrooms be causing harm? Currently in the United States people are imprisoned within the binary of two genders. Someone can either be a male or a female, and depending on the gender a person is they are expected to act and look a certain way. These gender binaries are so prevalent in our lives; it is to the point where a large group of Americans are being overlooked. This group of Americans identifies as transgender, which means they do not fit society’s expectations of how a specific gender should look and behave. (gaycenter.org, 2012). When using a bathroom a person is most likely only offered with two choices, men’s and women’s. By only giving
Transgender is an umbrella term, meaning an individual’s gender-identity does not align with their assigned sex at birth. Although transgender is a protected class in eighteen states, these individuals still face discrimination within the country and around the world (“Non-Discrimination Laws”). Transgender is not a lifestyle, no one chooses to live their life constantly being discriminated against. Transgender issues should be more educated on and their lives should be more protected.
Most people don’t have to think about which bathroom to use. They use the one labeled men’s or the one labeled women’s. It’s a simple decision. For transgender individuals, however, it is not that easy. The transgender rights movement has gained a lot of attention in recent years and with that attention brings many issues and questions. One of the issues that has popped up is which bathroom transgender people should use. Some think that people should only use the bathroom of the sex that they were assigned at birth while others feel they should be able to use the one that corresponds with the gender they feel they are and live as. Forcing transgender individuals to use the bathroom of their biological sex may seem like a good solution to this
When an individual identifies themselves as transgender, it means that they feel that their biological gender does not match with their psychological gender. To put that into a simple man’s term, the individual feels they “were born in the wrong body”. For example, a man feels that he was meant to be born a woman and vise-versa. It does sound rather unusual, but why should that matter? An individual should be able to make his or her own decisions about how they live their life. Unfortunately though, not everyone feels the same way about this. That is how the controversy is created. This is why transgender rights should be strengthened in America not only because it is morally correct, but also because it would ease the lives of the people within this group, reduce the discrimination and harassment rates of transgender individuals, and help establish awareness.
In an article done by Nicole Russel, she seeks to analyze two main things, one, that allowing every person who claims they are transgender into the bathroom of their choice is potentially a hazardous and dangerous situation and two that while people think they are fighting for equality of all, but are actually fighting for equality of transgender people, which is pushing rights of everyone else to the side. The following is her arguments. She stresses that most transgender people are basing these arguments off of feelings rather than facts. Russel will end her arguments by asking her readers to question whether its right exchange one group of peoples comfort for another's. are we treating both trangender and nontransgender people equally.
Instead, we should try to walk in the shoes of a transgender person and see all of the things they fear on a daily basis. Nearly “63.4% of transgender students reported avoiding bathrooms” at their school (Transgender Students). These students should not have the be afraid to use the restroom at school. As people, they should have the right to do what makes them happy. I personally believe that myself nor does anyone else have the right to tell someone they can not do what makes them happy. As long as someone is not putting themselves or others in danger, then they should be able to do as they please.
Most transgenders are most likely just like us normal people, but certain circumstances call for certain measures and this is one of those cases. There is nothing against them personally, just having separate bathrooms is just a thing that needs to be set in place to protect everyone, including transgenders.
Within the recent years, the transgender movement has become more apparent than ever. With television shows like “RuPaul’s Drag Race”, “Keeping It Up With Cait” and “I Am Jazz”, the voices of transgender people are more public than ever. Celebrities like Caitlyn Jenner and Laverene Cox are changing the face of the movement by showing people that it is never too late to be their true selves. American laws acknowledge the rights of transgender people, but not in a positive way. These are just people trying to be their best selves.
There are many different Gender identities and gender neutral bathrooms effect more than just Trans people. People who are not transgender also have trouble when it comes to bathrooms. For example, someone who is gender fluid is described to "feel like a mix of the two traditional genders, but may feel more man some days, and more woman other days." (Killerman). It is very difficult for people who do not "pass" as a specific gender to use the restroom in public. This is not an issue solely felt by transgendered people.
Including single occupancy, gender neutral bathrooms in schools and other public spaces can be beneficial to many people including those who are transgender or do not conform to the gender binary. It is also considerate to caregivers who take care of people of opposite genders. Lastly, it is helpful for those who have extreme social anxiety or have other needs for being alone such as women who are breastfeeding. It offers privacy as well as a sense of safety that the current public gendered restrooms can not give.
The issue of gender neutral bathrooms and transgender bathrooms is a hot topic right now in North America. Some people are strongly for it and others are going to great lengths to stop it. The majority of public bathrooms in Canada and The United States of America are gender segregated. Public bathrooms are one of the last places to still be separated by gender. Men and women work with each other, sit next to each other in restaurants, use public pools together, and much more. A bathroom with a locked stall, or single occupancy washrooms with a lock, should not be much different. When the idea was raised by the LGBTQIA*+ community to have transgender bathrooms or gender neutral bathrooms, North America was divided. There were those with no
Recently, there has been an uproar of debates on the topic of gender neutral bathrooms. Most of the debates have had to deal with the LGBTQ+ community trying to use the bathroom they identify with. However, these debates have mainly focused on transgenders, “transgender is a term used to describe people whose gender identity differs from the sex the doctor marked on their birth certificate” (GLADD). There has been several bills that “have been filed in three states to prevent transgender people from using bathrooms consistent with their gender identity” (Tannehill). Kentucky has tried to pass bills that target transgender students, but the bill in Texas and Florida would apply to everywhere (Tannehill). There are many different sides to this