The recent outcry regarding Transgender toilet issues in the US has pulled Obama into the frame with his strict warning to schools saying that transgender pupils have to be allowed to use the toilet of their choice. This is a great step forward both transgender adults and kids, or just people that feel they are a prisoner in their own body.
Obama’s knee jerk action came after North Carolina issued a bill insisting that people use the restroom of the gender displayed on their birth certificate. But the Deep South is predictable in its discrimination, after all it is the land of the red neck and it is no surprise that their bias should extend to such an issue.
A recent visit to the South confirmed it for me when visiting the Mississippi Dam and I was warned by a random male after hearing my accent, to watch out for gentlemen of a certain colour, a detail I will spare you on this page, but one that you can imagine. My outrage was such that I challenged the person in question, but quickly realized my words were falling on deaf and rather bigoted ears.
The response from the Transgender community over the issue of toilet freedom has been so massive that even Trump, and I am sorry to use the ‘T’ word, has issued a statement saying that he supports the rights of transgender people. Quite a revelation within his already diehard policies on ‘cleaning up’ America, and we know what that means coming from his lips!. It has an unrealistic ring about it, and proffers the question of his credibility as he steps up his campaign. But we accept it as another endorsement of transgender which can only be good.
Miley Cyrus, Ringo Starr, Bryan Adams and Bruce Springsteen all cancelled gigs in North Carolina to support the right of trans kids. ‘Some things are more important than rock,’ said Springsteen, which was a revelation in itself.
But the deep South is also a law unto itself and it is no surprise that they sent a lawsuit to Washington which was immediately overturned and firmly thrown back into the arms of the intolerant court of Colorado.
This issue of transgender loos is a talking point now in the UK, and we must ask ourselves is this something that we welcome, and what if any are the repercussions.
If it a matter of principle then yes, a great step forward for transgender and in my opinion, one that must be passed to enable us to move forward despite the inconvenience (excuse the pun) of perhaps the future being one of unisex restrooms. Well why not, the majority of homes in the UK have shared bathrooms and toilets for families and guests – and as long as the majority of public loos are still regulated and maintained, it should matter less and less as we integrate and eliminate our prejudice of gender, race and sexual preference.
