We need to be better spokespersons on the issue of transgenderism. It seems the message from conservatives can be boiled down to one question. I’ve seen it all over Facebook, heard it in conversations, and saw that even Ted Cruz was touting it during his last-ditch effort to stave off a Trump nomination:
“Do you want a grown man to follow your little girl into the women’s restroom?”
In a world of sound bytes and 140 character limits, it’s not surprising that conservatives have settled on this as the summary representative of their argument, thinking that their position is so obvious that only a complete idiot would fail to be convinced by it. But it’s not winning hearts and minds, and instead it’s actually feeding the liberal belief that conservatives, and Christians in particular, are bigots and fear mongers who must be repudiated and silenced lest they acquire enough power to force everyone to adopt their restrictive ways.
The question above implies that allowing transgendered individuals access to their restroom of choice will expose others to child molestation and rape. It’s an argument based on fear, and a highly exaggerated one at that. After all, isn’t your little boy just as much at risk from a male sexual predator in places where people must use the bathroom matching their biological sex? Common sense tells us that people who commit such crimes try to do so without witnesses milling about. A man doesn’t have to pretend to be transgendered in order to sexually assault a woman in a public restroom. He just has to have sufficient opportunity to do so where there isn’t anybody around. Truth be told, that probably accounts for most, if not all, public restroom rapes, not someone pretending to be the opposite sex.
The real problem with this “enabling sexual predators” question is that it shifts the focus away from the real issue. The root of the problem is not that a pedophile or rapist could abuse the system. The root of the problem is that it allows and even encourages people to adopt a false reality that stems from and inevitably contributes to serious mental health issues and sin.
Our society says the liberal stance on transgenderism is about equality and fighting discrimination and oppression. Christianity says the problem lies with a society that is willing to deny reality for the sake of the right to self-determination. This is idolatry: the exaltation of self as supreme. Our culture is not really concerned for transgendered individuals. And if our argument can be reduced to, “Do you want a grown man to follow your little girl into the women’s restroom?” then neither are we.
As Christians, we should always occupy the moral high ground in our dealings with a corrupt and sinful society. We can do that by being better advocates for transgendered individuals than society is. We advocate for them by pointing out the cruelty telling people they can change reality to fit their feelings when this approach will not fix their problems and does not work in other areas of life such as finances, employment, or relationships. We advocate for them by affirming the inherent goodness of every individual’s biological sex. We advocate for them by providing and challenging the world to provide real mental health care that affirms that goodness and treats the mind, not “care” that involves mutilating a healthy body.
The next time you’re tempted to make that post on Facebook or throw in that zinger in your conversation, stop and refocus on the central issue of the inherent goodness of our biological sex.
I don’t want grown men in the women’s restroom, or grown women in the men’s restroom, and don’t necessarily worry that “it’s not winning hearts and minds” to say so, but… I agree with you. By focusing on this we miss the bigger issue “of the inherent goodness of our biological sex” that God gave us. Transgenderism throws out good biological reality in favor of a fantasy that can never be true, no matter how much one wants it to be so (and how much others pretend it is so). Pretending the emperor has clothes doesn’t mean he does, and… Read more »
That should say (and NO MATTER how much others pretend it is so)…
I actually think that I can say that I don’t want a grown man following my little girl into the restroom and it NOT be about pedophiles and fear. I’m not a pedophile. I’m not a creep. I’m a nice guy. The women I know know these things about me. They STILL don’t want me in their bathroom. It’s about privacy, not fear.
It’s about privacy. It’s about fear. It’s about perversion. It’s about sin. It’s about all of these things, and probably more. I’m already hearing that this is not just about the bathroom, but it’s also about the locker rooms, as well. So, I’ll say it, too. I do NOT want a man creeping around in the locker rooms of any of the girls I know and love. I do NOT want some man, or boy, seeing things in a girls locker room, and then spreading that news to all of his buddies, who might even tease a girl about her… Read more »
David, I’m going slightly off topic, but when you write about our President wanting to “to force this on the American people” you (accidentally or purposefully) capture the essence of what this is about for this administration — power.
Yep, I really think he would like to be King Obama. But, doesn’t that fit with the Socialist way of thinking? You know, we’re the only ones smart enough to run the country, so we have to tell everyone else what to do. You poor, ignorant peons. We will take care of you. We will provide for you. Just let us do all the thinking and planning and ruling. So, they work and strive for government to get bigger and bigger and bigger. And, they have to raise taxes to do this. But, they want more and more control. They… Read more »
I do think we need to have this discussion without being crass. I’ve not really seen anyone on here be that way, but my social media feeds are filled with Christisns being perverse and crass.
There are huge privacy issues at stake and transgender issues as well. Those conversations must be had, but it must be done civilly and with compassion. I’m against the issue, for the record. Just saying there’s a better way to have the convo. I think this article is a good start.
I think a better way to frame the issue is we don’t think it’s a good idea for a 15 year old boy with gender identity issues to shower in the girls locker room at school with the girls. Or for that matter, for a 15 year old girl with gender identity issues to shower in the boys locker room along with the boys.
I suggestion a slight rewording here: “…we don’t think it’s a good idea for a 15 year old boy [who claims to have]… gender identity issues to shower in the girls locker room…” or vice versa.
It’s not about transgender issues. It’s about people who would abuse the transgender issue for their own perversion.
And as a general comment, if we want a better way to frame it, then I would think that transgender people would be as upset as we are that predators would want to take advantage of the transgender movement in such a way as to cast disrepute on genuine transgender people. We should actually be on the same side here – at least transgender people can work to help us keep the fakers out. By the way, the threat is real. The US DOJ has data from a study in late 90s that an estimated 58,200 children were abducted by… Read more »
There is a solution here. YEars ago I was in Amsterdam’s airport and went to the bathroom. They didn’t have a men’s room or a women’s room, just a bathroom. It was a series of single stalls, fully enclosed. Unisex sinks. That’s probably where public bathrooms are headed.
I’m sure that the reaction is a little overblown at times, but this whole thing is creepy.
I have never been in a women’s bathroom, including overseas, that wasn’t a series of single stalls, fully enclosed. That does not solve the problem.
How about a locker room? How about showers?
If these enclosed stalls – they have those in men’s rooms too – were completely floor to ceiling – that may come closer to offer a solution toward solving the privacy issue in ladies bathrooms.
Yeah. I wasn’t saying it was a real solution. My brain isn’t great on Sunday PM.
I think that’s where this is all headed. Not men’s rooms and women’s rooms, but a series of individual bathrooms.
I wonder if a little of the blame for the recent dust-up over transgenderism can be laid at the feet of society’s (including Christians) social construction of gender. We look askance at effeminate men and masculine women. I have known both who were happily (and heterosexually) married. I wonder if we haven’t subtly or not so subtly pushed such people into declaring themselves as the opposite gender. I wonder if this could have been avoided in a lot of cases if we had just let people be who they are. To the point of the article, I agree. The grown… Read more »
The best argument I’ve heard from the Left has been about the safety of the transgender individual themselves. There are many cases of transgender persons being assaulted in men’s rooms by straight men. They reason that there really is no true threat to women’s safety, but there are well-documented threats to the safety of trans persons.
One issue that I find interesting – but is never discussed Buy those who favor president Obamas edict – is that most transgender people still desire the opposite sex of their biological sex – Bruce Jenner being a perfect example – he wanted to become a woman – but yet he still is attracted to women – so the idea of Bruce Jenner changing clothes in a ladies bathroom – with ladies changing in front of him – Violates the privacy of the ladies. Also I think it’s important to note that This new edict – which has absolutely no… Read more »
Here’s what a group of Black Pastors said:
http://conservativepost.com/preach-it-black-pastors-slams-obamas-trans-bathroom-order-with-2-words/
David
Homosexual rights are not civil rights! POTUS is greatly confused on this.
Andrew, really good thoughts. I agree that there is more going on here than just the potential for child molestation. And the rhetoric that is being used against these crazy laws is fueling the fires. I do think the recent DOJ letter is troubling, especially because it moves the argument from places of business to schools. Schools where children gather are the last places we should attempt social engineering and experimentation. Kids are cruel and vulnerable. By attempting to force this policy into schools the DOJ is opening up confused kids to bullying, assault, and worse. Really poor choice by… Read more »
Actually it was always about public schools – The incident that started this whole thing was when the city of Charlotte, NC dictated that all public bathrooms on public AND private property – which would include schools and private business’s too…. And the state of North Carolina decided no you cannot dictate what happens and state buildings and as for state buildings are concerned people should use the bathroom of their biological sex. The state law that was passed never included private bathrooms only public ones. This was always about public schools. Obama just put it into overdrive – dictating… Read more »
“Obama just put it into overdrive – dictating that all schools across the nation do this.”
In case anyone missed it, here’s a link to Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s response to President Obama’s guidance to schools on transgender bathrooms:
“Obama can keep his 30 pieces of silver.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEt_L66tu4Q
I agree with Tarheel. Make no mistake, this has always been about change at the elementary school level (and from there upward). Once the brainwashing has taken place at the elementary level, it becomes ingrained as “normal”.
Obama is attempting to leave his legacy. A legacy of what he promised back in 2008. A complete and utter re-composition of America.
Quote from Obama’s Threat to Defund Schools Over Trans Bathroom Issue Violates Federal Law by Herbert W. Titus and William J. Olson: “The Obama Administration sees that with each turn of the calendar there are fewer and fewer days to remake America, as President Obama promised in his inaugural address. So much damage to be done, and so little time to do it.”
Robert Vaughn, thanks for the link to the Titus & Olson article. I offer a spin on the last sentence of the quote you provided:
“So much damage has been done, and so little time to UN-do it.”
America is racing toward judgment. The innocent blood of aborted millions cry out against us. So little time …
Andrew, I think you are heading us in the right direction. There is so much more to this senseless and harmful guidance given by the DOJ. When you read their documents attempting to enforce and imaginary reality, the attempt is no longer a joke but a very troubled salvo to destroy a governed people. The sheer cost of implementing this atrocious edict is astounding. One part of the “guidance” calls for each and every school to have a “monitor’ to enforce the guidance. The universities have already started classes to buttress this onslaught of imagination cops in each public place.… Read more »
I appreciate the corrective in Andrew’s article. The focus from the Christian world really should be on gender being a good gift from God that is connected to our biological sex and is meant for His glory. Transgenderism is one of the most vivid examples of both the noetic effects of the fall on humanity and how sin corrupts the totality of our humanity. However, precisely because we are all fallen people living in a fallen world, we must point out sinful consequences of what could happen and actually has happened already. Therefore, I believe that arguments like “this could… Read more »
In one way, this issue is very simple. We should know pretty easily exactly which bathroom to use.
On the other hand, it’s amazing how difficult the issue is.
Andrew… this was sent out via a good friend, Nancy (husband is Joe Stewart / Pastor in Tucson). Good perspective about the subject you have broached here….. http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2015/06/15108/
The report by Vox (a liberal media outlet) about the Texas Attorney General’s interview by Megan Kelly — and their editorializing about it — gives a good idea of what’s going on in the “combat zone”. Read HERE.
Gender confused people come out of a closet the same way all other shame-based perversions do. They wait for an advocate. How much greater than an entire administration of “professionals”? How about the President of the United States? It remains to be seen just how far the LGBT community will ride this new wave of community support but certainly, we are about to see the unleashed power of the remaining conservative populace. Rest assured, all this President-down bathroom lunacy is about money, not morality or genuine concern for a person who is gender confused. In fact, they are using the… Read more »
We dine frequently at the local Golden Corral. A couple of years ago, we noticed a man near us with long hair and long fingernails … didn’t think much about it at the time. On a subsequent visit, we saw the same man with polished fingernails … wrote that off, too. But when we saw him walk in adorned in a dress, high heels, purse, and make-up, we got the heebie-jeebies! Believe me, I’ll be keeping an eye on his/her bathroom choice in the future as children do their potty runs there. I’ll share the Gospel with him “after” I… Read more »