Last week, we reported on Target’s new policy permitting transgender individuals to choose the bathroom to use according to their gender identity. I whole-heartedly agree with this position because I believe everyone deserves the right to use the bathroom most closely aligned with how they identify.
In my opinion, when businesses put restrictions on laws regarding transgender rights, they prohibit society from advancing as a whole. The more equality we have in the world, the easier it will be to revamp the societal landscape in a way that is advantageous for future generations. After all, public bathrooms are awkward as it is; the last thing we need is people preventing responsible individuals from feeling comfortable completing a normal daily activity.
According to our earlier report, the American Family Association (AFA) is sending men into Target’s women’s restrooms in an effort to test its new transgender-friendly rule. According to the Director of Government Affairs for the AFA, Sandy Rios, the group’s main concern is the safety of women and children while shopping at the retail giant.
“Nearly everyone has a mother, wife, daughter or friend who is put in jeopardy by this policy,” AFA President Tim Wildmon said. “Predators and voyeurs would take advantage of the policy to prey on those who are vulnerable.”
Although I understand the AFA’s reasoning, they are ignoring the impact restrictions can have on people who have recently come out. I can not imagine revealing my transgender identity and transforming to it and then being immediately persecuted for using the bathroom I feel most comfortable visiting.
Despite negative reaction to the new ordinance, Target refuses to reverse its ruling.
“We certainly respect that there are a wide variety of perspectives and opinions,” Molly Snyder, Target spokeswoman, said. “As a company that firmly stands behind what it means to offer our team an inclusive place to work — and our guests an inclusive place to shop — we continue to believe that this is the right thing for Target.”
Although people may think the department store’s new legislation is taking LGBT rights too far, I think it is moving in the right direction. It’s 2016 for god’s sake; people should be able to use the gender bathroom they most closely relate to. Plenty of other groups and businesses have acknowledged the movement for more equality in the U.S., and Target is simply making changes according to people’s inherent needs.
Featured photo via Flickr by Jenny Mealing under a Creative Commons 2.0 license.
