April 15, 2024 - #mondaymoment #transgender #trans #bathroombills
Happy Monday, my friends! Last Wednesday, April 10, the Ohio House Higher Education Committee voted to send House Bill (HB) 183 to the House for a floor vote. As written, HB183 would restrict access to public restrooms, locker rooms, and other typically gendered spaces including accommodations on overnight trips in both K-12 and higher education based on the gender marker on a person’s original birth certificate. The bill offers no guidance or requirements regarding enforcement, though it seems like the respective school would have to assume the enforcement role. HB183 demonstrates the limited time its authors spent considering possible consequences. Not only is there no language regarding enforcement, but the language also restricts access to restrooms for everyone engaged in education including teachers, professors, administrators, and support staff as well as visitors. For colleges and universities in particular, HB183 poses issues in hosting public, athletic, and scholarly programs where large groups of visitors would be subjected to these ridiculous regulations. Further, HB183 would bar schools, colleges, and universities from constructing new, multi-use gender-inclusive restrooms or from designating multiuse restrooms as gender inclusive.
After scheduling tons of graphics from our partners at Trans Allies of Ohio and scheduling our own material across social media, I was trying to think of a way to be provocative and hopefully get more eyes on our alerts. The graphics below are what I came up with.
Ok, I admit, I thought they would do better on social media than they did. I’ve never been a person who understands the humor in “poop” jokes, but “everybody’s gotta poop” sounded apropos. It’s also so simple. We’re talking about the ability to go to the bathroom safely and comfortably. Though proponents of these kinds of bills will tell you that there is an epidemic of men pretending to be women just to gain access to women’s bathrooms, the facts demonstrate that restrooms and locker rooms are some of the most dangerous places for transgender people. And, let’s be honest, if a man is determined to go inside a women’s restroom to do something to one or more women, HB183 isn’t going to stop him.
We’ve all got to pee and poop. Rather than seeking and constructing problems that don’t exist, we should be focused on making sure that everyone’s basic needs are met, particularly in our educational environments.
What are your thoughts on HB183? What would you rather do than police the restroom use of trans people?
*Blessings on your weeks, my friends! Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you.
Faithfully,
Ben
*I’ve been told by multiple people that they stop ready before the prayer or, to quote one person, “No one cares about your prayers.” Based on that feedback, I’m not offering a prayer week. Reply to this reflection and let me know what you think.
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