03 July 2013

California Bill For K-12 Transgenders

Today, California lawmakers approved a bill that would allow transgender K-12 students to decide which bathrooms they will use, and on which sports teams they will participate.

As usual, some people worry that boys will pretend to be transgender in order to "sneak and peek" in girl's bathrooms.  

I can tell you that such a fear is unfounded.  No boy who wants to see what a girl has under her panties would ever pretend that he's transgender.  After all, most boys--at least those of a certain age--want to date girls.  There's no way they'll get to do that if they're trans, or even if they are seen as "girly".   Plus, almost no boy--not even the toughest--would subject himself to the bullying and worse he would experience for being perceived as "girly".  

Plus, I remember the bullying I experienced in boy's bathrooms, even though my clothing and other aspects of my appearance were completely congruent with what most people in this society (at that time, anyway) expected of boys.  It would begin with a comment like, "I thought this was a BOY's bathroom!" and go downhill from there.  I can only imagine what I would have faced had I dressed like a girl and manifested my mind and spirit in other ways.  

I hope that at least some kids--including, now, the ones in California--won't have such experiences.