The Religious Right's Potty Paranoia

[depakid]

Public restrooms: The final frontier of the right's war on queer folk?

The next big culture war battle is about to be waged in an unlikely place: the restroom. After many years, Congress may finally have the votes to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). The measure, which the Obama administration views as key to advancing gay rights, would ban workplace discrimination against gays, lesbians, and transgendered people. But Christian right groups are fighting the legislation -- on the grounds that it would force businesses to allow transgendered and "transitioning" men and women to use opposite-sex restrooms or face lawsuits from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The Traditional Values Coalition, a major foe of ENDA, has written a lengthy report on the potential dangers of the legislation, and the bathroom crisis is high on the list. As proof of the coming bathroom integration, it cites a Seattle incident in which two women who were taking male hormones were thrown out of a men's room at the Washington convention center. The women were staging a "pee-in" as part of a Gender Odyssey Conference, but TVC sees "she-men" invading the hallowed confines of men's restrooms everywhere should ENDA pass.

In talking points issued to ENDA opponents, Liberty Counsel, the conservative public interest firm associated with Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, warns:

ENDA mandates that employers give access to shared facilities, such as restrooms and other similar facilities for those who are of the same sex, but have an opposite gender identity (i.e. a male identifying as female), or of those who have notified their employer of an ongoing gender transition (i.e. a male transitioning to a female). Those employees would be allowed to share restrooms and other similar facilities with members of the opposite sex.

Peter LaBarbera, president of the anti-gay group Americans for Truth, has called ENDA the "Transgendered Bathrooms for Business" bill. He frets on his Web site that women will be forced to share facilities with "a big-boned man claiming to be 'transitioning' to 'womanhood.'" He writes, "Biologically-born ladies, beware!"

Conservative activists warn that by pushing ENDA, the Obama administration is embracing not just the homosexual agenda, but that of liberal atheist George Soros....

More: http://www.alternet.org/sex/144512/the_religious_right%27s_potty_paranoia

[Kerrytravelers]

1. "Biologically-born ladies, beware!"

Thanks for the warning. I'll take my chances. I'm more terrified of the Christian Reich than of anyone transitioning.

[MH1]

8. When I was in the service, some places I went had unisex bathrooms

it's hard for me to see what people get so worked up about.

Well yeah, now that I think about it, a certain gender does tend to leave the bathroom somewhat nastier than the other (on average) ... :)

[burning rain]

14. I'm with you... but be ready for a nasty fight, buddy.

Universities are about the only institutions where gender-neutral bathrooms are fairly widely available.

[BOSSHOG]

2. As we post, religious zealots in America

who thoroughly enjoy their freedoms, many in a tax exempt status, are figuring out what to fake outrage about in the spring, when the fake war on christmas is over for yet another year. To their caca protest I say just piss on it.

[petersjo02]

3. He writes, "Biologically-born ladies, beware!"

Peter LaBarbera needs to check his grammar manual" modifiers that end in "ly" should not be followed by hyphens. Sorry, Pete, you're just wrong all the way around.

[MineralMan]

9. Ah...Peter LaBarbera is worried that women will come into

HIS restroom, where his shortcomings will be all too apparent. That's the real problem, I think.

[Turbineguy]

4. Help me out here

If a person is transgendering and goes to the restroom (presumably the restroom one is dressed for) and closes the stall door, who's to know? What difference does it make?

[Vincardog]

6. You actualy thing the RW nutz go to the cutlure wars with valid reasons?

They stage these faux attacks and defenses of (fill in the blank) just to reinforce their martyr story or to "rally the troops" for the exorcise.

[Mopar151]

7. It makes a difference if you're Larry Craig

Or some other closeted toilet fag "looking for love in all the wrong places". GoodGawd - will we hafta pass a genetalia check to take a dump?

[sweetloukillbot]

15. A few years ago there was a bar with this "problem" in Phoenix

The bar was a transgender hangout and ladies were claiming they saw people standing while peeing in the stalls despite the doors being closed.
The whole thing got crazy with the bar owner banning transgenders, booking a transgender concert (then cancelling it when he found out the singer was TG) lawsuits flying and eventually the bar closing.

Then it reopened as a gay bar. The whole thing reeked of a publicity stunt at the expense of the TG community.

[notadmblnd]

5. when I really gotta go, I don't care who is in there with me.

[yurbud]

10. a manly man wouldn't care if a woman snuck a look at his penis, and a ladies rest room is all

private stalls anyway, so what's the big deal?

In the long term, the whole issue could be avoided if there was one bathroom with private walled in toilets and then communal sinks.

[struggle4progress]

11. It might make sense to wrap this into a larger "equal access to facilities" fight. A number of

public venues don't provide comparable facilities for women and men, as often can be seen by inspecting restroom lines at ballgames, for example. Sometimes, these problems are temporarily solved by women commandeering men's restrooms -- but they might also be addressed by requiring a certain fraction of available restrooms be unisex

[Mopar151]

12. Men's, Ladies, and I Don't Care, I Gotta GO!

I can see that... Makes good sense for a public building with diverse usage. I'm thinkin' about an exhibit hall I go to for race car flea markets - and they also host doll shows.

[burning rain]

13. kick

n