I think it's a valid question if the showers are open style, just based on the fact that I know I wouldn't have wanted to see a penis when I was in high school, and I doubt I'm the only one who would fall into that category. I think that as we begin to acknowledge differences in sexuality, there are going to be accommodations that are going to have to be made. People freaked out when the ADA was passed and said that meeting all those accommodations would bankrupt the nation, yet it seems to have worked out fine. Why can't we do something similar for trans students?
I don't particularly like the idea of othering trans students by giving them a separate locker facility, but trans high school students are very unlikely to have gone through the gender reassignment process. (I would be shocked if you could even do any of that on someone who is young enough to still be developing?) I don't think it's reasonable to expect for a bunch of high school girls to be OK with a penis in their showers (I mean, just from a visual standpoint alone!), even if they are all best friends with her and really support her decision to live as female. Maybe the trans students wouldn't feel comfortable using a locker room designated to the gender they identified with-- I would think having different parts from everyone else would result in a lot of stares. I don't think everyone would be comfortable with that. Can you imagine a female trans student who identifies as male using the showers designated for the boys and the boys just treating her like one of the guys? I just don't have that much faith in teenagers.
It's a legit question because you didn't want to see penis? Did you want to see vagina? Who wants to see anyone naked at school? That's awkward at any age.
And why are we still talking about showers?! I made it my entire educational career w/out showering at school. I don't know anyone who showered at school. My highschool had group showers and private stall showers for the organized athletes. I never used them. I never saw anyone use them. Showering at school is the red herring.
And furthermore the "question" posed by Huckabee was not how can we protect trans students. It was "how can ensure that pervy boys (like me!) don't go stare at boobs!!!" That's not legit!!! As has been discussed ad nauseum in here already.
Oh, I absolutely don't think he gives a flying fuck about the safety of trams students. I do, so I don't think the question of, "How will we accommodate trans students as more people feel comfortable coming out?" isn't completely absurd. I just thought that's what the conversation had turned into. I'm fine with letting trans students use the bathroom of the gender they identify with, but I think that it does raise safety concerns for the trans students. I think a third bathroom would be a good idea, but allow the trans students to pick which bathroom they use. When it comes to accommodating them in locker rooms and showers where people are nude, I think we actually are talking about something that is going to require a different solution. You may think not wanting to see a penis sounds ridiculous, but there actually are a lot of people who would be very traumatized by that. I don't think that should be discounted. And I don't think we should pretend that their presence wouldn't draw more attention than every other student. I really think a third locker room for trans students isn't an unreasonable thing.
Strangely my high school had open group showers for the boys, but private showers for the girls, I never really understood that. Not that it's relevant to the story.
I have a hard time imagining that most teenage boys are willing to present themselves as female seriously enough to be allowed to use the girl's locker room..
Wasn't this a movie from the 80s??? I feel like this was a movie plot, starring actors you've never heard of.
I have a hard time imagining that most teenage boys are willing to present themselves as female seriously enough to be allowed to use the girl's locker room..
Wasn't this a movie from the 80s??? I feel like this was a movie plot, starring actors you've never heard of.
All I remember is Ladybugs when Jon Brandis was disguised as a girl and playing on a girls' soccer team and Dangerfield said "after the game - no showers!"
I have a hard time imagining that most teenage boys are willing to present themselves as female seriously enough to be allowed to use the girl's locker room..
Wasn't this a movie from the 80s??? I feel like this was a movie plot, starring actors you've never heard of.
Just One of the Guys - but it's a girl masquerading as a boy to win a summer internship at the local paper.
I do think that Mike Huckabee essentially admitted that he's a predator who would pretend to be transgender to victimize women. But there's no need to ban transgender women from using public bathrooms because of that, just ban Mike Huckabee.
Post by decemberwedding07 on Jun 3, 2015 8:49:54 GMT -5
And regarding regular old bathrooms stalls, setting showers aside, is there anyone who doesn't sometimes feel a little nervous using public bathrooms because you feel like the cracks are so big that people can see you? I've said it before and I'll say it again. Gap-free bathroom stall technology exists. It is used widely in Europe. Get your shit together, America! Is there some sort of poor-quality bathroom stall manufacturing cartel that has the U.S. bathroom stall market in a vise grip? I demand gap-free stalls and I demand them NOW!!!
Is it just me, or has he gotten worse? In 2008, he just seemed sane. I mean, he's always had his folksy evangelical schtick, but I don't recall him being a total piece of shit. I even recall there being an article somewhere...maybe in Slate or some liberal NYT op-ed discussing some of his more populist positions with some praise.
Now, he's Jerry Falwell. There is absolutely nothing there but hate for people that are not Christian evangelicals.
We had a call the other day from an incoming college student who is transgender. She is still legally a male and her legal name is still the one given to her at birth. She called because she is in the transition stage, living as a woman, but hasn't had the physical procedures completed yet. The reason she was calling? She is nervous about her first day in class, when the professors do attendance call and people picking on her when her legal male name is called and she is forced to answer.
I cannot even imagine having to worry about these issues and my heart hurt for her. Here she is, just wanting to be herself, and have a good college experience like anyone else. So, to have people like this jerk belittling their struggle just pisses me off.