Two hundred and fifty years ago, the Founding Fathers of the United States of America came together during the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia to declare independence from an oppressive, imperialist government. Within this declaration was the assurance that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (1776). These three unalienable rights are guaranteed to all citizens of the United States, and must be protected by the government above all else, regardless of age, race, wealth, or sexuality. That is why, with the guaranteed right of personal liberty in mind, transgender citizens of the United States should be
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The Federalist’s Kaeyley Triller-a survivor of childhood rape-explains in her article, A Rape Survivor speaks out about Transgender Bathrooms, “I’d much rather risk hurting a smaller number of people’s feelings by asking transgender people to use a single-occupancy restroom that still offers safety than risk jeopardizing the safety of thousands of women and kids with a policy that gives would-be predators a free pass” (Triller, 2015). What Triller fails to realize is that this is not simply a matter of “hurt feelings” and damaged egos, but one of basic human rights. Triller has allowed her judgement to be clouded by a fear-one of the unknown, which she had so tragically had realized in the worst possible way...but this does not excuse infringement upon the personal liberties of others, regardless of her position. Sadly, in some areas transphobia has prevailed; fear has plowed through reason, albeit momentarily. In places like Houston, where Proposition 1 (a bill securing equal rights for LGBT citizens) had failed due to conservative outcry, “the campaign was as explicitly based on fear as any in modern memory”, being based on “ testimonials from women who said they were followed into bathrooms by men or harassed” (Berman, 2015)... while of course failing to provide evidence that transgender use of public restrooms affected the prevalence of incidents at all and failing to mention that it is already illegal to enter a restroom with the intent to
The Federalist’s Kaeyley Triller-a survivor of childhood rape-explains in her article, A Rape Survivor speaks out about Transgender Bathrooms, “I’d much rather risk hurting a smaller number of people’s feelings by asking transgender people to use a single-occupancy restroom that still offers safety than risk jeopardizing the safety of thousands of women and kids with a policy that gives would-be predators a free pass” (Triller, 2015). What Triller fails to realize is that this is not simply a matter of “hurt feelings” and damaged egos, but one of basic human rights. Triller has allowed her judgement to be clouded by a fear-one of the unknown, which she had so tragically had realized in the worst possible way...but this does not excuse infringement upon the personal liberties of others, regardless of her position. Sadly, in some areas transphobia has prevailed; fear has plowed through reason, albeit momentarily. In places like Houston, where Proposition 1 (a bill securing equal rights for LGBT citizens) had failed due to conservative outcry, “the campaign was as explicitly based on fear as any in modern memory”, being based on “ testimonials from women who said they were followed into bathrooms by men or harassed” (Berman, 2015)... while of course failing to provide evidence that transgender use of public restrooms affected the prevalence of incidents at all and failing to mention that it is already illegal to enter a restroom with the intent to