Why Gender Neutral Restrooms Are A Controversy - 1387 Words

Why Gender Neutral Restrooms Are A Controversy Some people may be confused as to why gender neutral bathrooms are a controversy. This controversy stems from the trans* rights movement’s desire for safety and acceptance. Trans*, short for transgender, is an umbrella term that is used to describe people who identify as a gender they were not assigned at birth, this includes female to male, male to female, agender, and non-binary individuals while cisgender, cis for short, is used to describe someone who identifies with the gender they were assigned at birth. Some trans* individuals many pass as their identified gender and face harassment in the restroom if they are outed as trans*, likewise some trans* individuals do not pass or have not†¦show more content†¦Many arguments against gender neutral restrooms are backed in ignorance and fear of transgender issues and what trans* means. These people believe that transwomen are men in dresses and transmen are tomboys, that ge nder is binary and rigid. A way to help people accept gender neutral bathrooms is to educate people on trans* issues and what trans* is. To teach people that transwomen are women - not men in dresses, that transmen are men, that gender is not binary, that gender is fluid, that gender identity and gender expression are two different things, that being trans* is not a mental illness. Many people are simply not aware or understand what it means to be transgender. In the Autumn of 2015 a Missouri town was divided when transgirl Lila Perry started using the girl’s restroom and locker room, even after the school offered a single stall restroom. Students gossiped and eventually parents raised concern at a school board meeting, they asked the school to stop giving privileges to â€Å"confused teenagers who want to be something they are not sexually. The parents did not get the response they wanted so they and some students organized a student walk out;before this even happened Lila dropped gym class because she feared for her safety. Sydney Dye, a high school senior who helped organize the walk out says â€Å"This protest wasn t out to bully Lila or call her out on anything or try to make her