Gender Neutral Bathroom
Last year, proposed Indiana law would make it a crime for a person to enter a single-sex public restroom that does not match the person’s “biological gender,” defined in terms of chromosomes and sex at birth. The punishment could be up to a year in jail and a five-thousand-dollar fine. Similar laws proposed in several other states have not passed. These proposals attempt to counter recent moves in many states to allow transgender people to access bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s same-sex-marriage decision, last summer, these skirmishes may give the sense of moving the L.G.B.T.-equality debate from the sublime to the ridiculous. But the implications of the controversy go far beyond bathrooms. (The New Yorker : Who’s Afraid of Gender-Neutral Bathrooms? By Jeannie Suk)
In February 2016, North Carolina also proposed the “North Carolina House Bill 2 law” which is similar to Indiana’s. It became controversial in terms of human rights of minority and invasion of privacy. To be honest, I didn’t have many ideas about these issues because in South Korea, transgender and LGBTQ+ people were not big issues as much as in America. I didn’t know why gender neutral bathrooms are needed, and why some states like Indiana and North Carolina oppose the gender neutral bathrooms.
(Here is a link for "Understanding HB2: North Carolina’s newest law solidifies state’s role in defining discrimination
*Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article68401147.html#storylink=cpy"
*http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article72170307.html)
After examining the news, journals, and campaigns, I noticed this is not about only bathroom issues, but political issues about the human rights of minorities. It looks very complicated, but one thing for sure, this is a very important issue and should be given greater attention. As a human with basic needs, I can definitely understand the desire to feel comfortable in a place like a bathroom which is a place that all people need to use. Even though I’ve never personally experienced this issue, I cannot imagine feeling unsafe because I had to use the restroom and was unsure of how people would react to my entering of a facility designated to a specific gender. A few days ago, I knew there is a gender neutral bathroom in our school. The label says this bathroom is for gender neutral, family and disabled. While I was using that bathroom, I thought of safety and security in personal space. When it comes to LGBTQ+ people, even though I’m still confused because of my religious belief, I think it is every person's right to feel safe when going to the bathroom.
