Carolina law upholds barriers

New transgender law sparks controversy over bigotry and personal privacy

One word can describe the direction the U.S. will go in if the transgender movement is allowed to run rampant — “hen.”

How can hen be significant to transgenders? While its traditional meaning is “female bird,” its new use abolishes tradition in every sense of the word. Hen took on a new meaning in April 2015 when it was added to the Swedish dictionary as the first gender-neutral pronoun.

Lann Hornscheidt, a gender studies professor at Humboldt University in Sweden, supports the adoption of the term.

“Sweden is really the pioneer,” Hornscheidt said. “No other country has made such an effort to break down gender barriers among children.”

Barriers have existed between male and female restrooms and locker rooms for decades — and for good reason. In schools, restaurants and public areas, gender-motivated boundaries exist to make members of both sexes feel comfortable and safe. North Carolina’s lawmakers have taken steps to maintain these boundaries for the safety of their citizens.

In response to an anti-discrimination ordinance passed in Charlotte, North Carolina, the state’s legislature passed a bill March 23 that contradicts the ordinance and bars people from using restrooms that do not match their birth gender. This act is a step in the right direction to keep America from entering the slippery slope that changed Sweden’s vocabulary.

This North Carolina decree is an intentional effort to prevent the specific issues already cropping up in regards to laws that blur the lines between male and female. One example occurred at a Seattle swimming pool in February.

According to an article written by Seattle’s King 5 News, a man repeatedly entered the women’s locker room, and finally undressed there in front of young girls there for a swim class. Women who felt uncomfortable alerted the staff of the man’s actions, and he cited the state’s rule that allowed him to choose a bathroom based on his gender identity rather than his actual gender.

Upon discussing the issue, Seattle Parks spokesman David Takami is cited in the article saying that they are “still working on the issue.” Right now, there is no specific protocol for how someone should demonstrate their gender in order to access a bathroom. Because of this uncertainty, as it now stands, any man can cite the law to enter a women’s facility.

While many oppose the unifying of restroom facilities for both genders, advocates in opposition are simply more outspoken — the minority is far more vocal than the majority. Matt Walsh, a writer for The Blaze, feels that transgenders are having an impact on society that far outweighs the number in their ranks.

“Liberalism is … ultimately dominated by the most quantitatively insignificant group on the planet,” Walsh wrote. “There are a handful of gender-confused people in this country, but their demands and desires trump everyone’s.”

In demanding new restrooms specifically for transsexuals, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender movement is mandating special attention and costing businesses money that they do not have. In demanding that transgenders be allowed into the restrooms of their chosen sex rather than their actual sex, they are infringing upon the privacy rights of others in the facility.

Former presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson succinctly summarized the issue in an interview with the Huffington Post.

“I think everybody has equal rights, but I’m not sure that anybody should have extra rights — extra rights when it comes to redefining everything for everybody else,” he said.

North Carolina’s legislature is receiving both positive and negative feedback for their act. Madeleine Gause, a transgender woman, spoke out in opposition, stating that the men’s room is uncomfortable to use.

“I can’t use the men’s room,” Gause said. “I won’t go back. It is unsafe for me.”

Dan Bishop, a House Republican who sponsored the bill, described his support of the ordinance as a protection of the common citizen.

“What we are doing is preserving a sense of privacy that people have long expected,” Bishop said.

GARBER is an opinion writer.