South Dakota Senate passes anti-transgender bill (UPDATE: It has been vetoed)

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I think it's quite misleading to say that group showers are being "phased out" in the US, you'd have a hard time finding any public school that still has them. They were already long gone when I was in high school.

[Marokai Backbeat]

I feel like there's major projection issues going on whenever someone freaks out about "the perverts lurking around bathrooms to catch a glimpse and get off on strangers!" like this. They're f**king restrooms, no one is running around public restrooms naked if you're over the age of four. There's nothing sexual about the experience at all that the addition of a transgender person is going to completely disrupt or something.

I think there are legitimate reasons to separate facilities (practical reasons like needing literally different appliances and supplies for the different sexes in different restrooms) but I don't really see any "sexual" reason for separate rooms. Who cares.

[Bojack Horseman]

I think it's quite misleading to say that group showers are being "phased out" in the US, you'd have a hard time finding any public school that still has them. They were already long gone when I was in high school.

The high school I graduated from still has one in the guys' and girls' locker rooms, and the current building was completed in 1998.

[Virginiá]

Transgender individuals generally do not start using the bathroom of their identified gender until they "pass" - i.e., once society begins to see them as their identified gender as opposed to the gender they were assigned at birth. So the difference between "creepy sex pervert" and "actual transgender individual" will be pretty obvious. You will never notice the transgender individual, and you will immediately notice the creepy sex pervert.

I understand that society is uncomfortable with this right now. But it's better to protect the minority of transgender individuals who are often invisible to society, than to ensure that the vast majority of the rest of the world is not uncomfortable. The discomfort that the rest of the world experiences can be unlearned, and people can grow to become more accepting with the next decade or two. But the discomfort that transgender individuals already experience from the way society views them is not something that can just "go away."

Well, I can say from my experiences that not all trans women look that much like their gender. I have met someone who did look undeniably male. I don't know what the numbers are, but I feel safe in saying that there are enough male-looking transwomen to still make this an issue. As far as 'passing' - That's understandable, but that is a self-imposed test.

I agree with you that it is better to protect them as opposed to an uncomfortable world. I have enough experience with discrimination, harassment and exclusion to know that it would be better to accommodate transgender people than try and please everyone else. However, as I said, or tried to imply is that I just think everyone's concerns should be considered and to come up with some sort of solution (I have no idea what), and if that can't be done, then I'd go with letting them use the bathroom per their gender.

However, I do feel like you're mitigating my concern here with that creepy pervert picture. I wasn't saying some sleazeball would strut in there looking like that to do whatever it is he wants to do. I was saying that because there is no rules on this, no way to know what gender he identifies with, any guy, a perv, some frat guys, whatever, can put on a wig or whatever else, go in and claim they are transgendered. But to be clear, I'm not saying this would turn into some sort of rampant problem, either. I'm just saying it would happen more often as people come to understand this situation. Right now, if a guy walks into a woman's bathroom, I know he shouldn't be in there (actually I don't know what FL law says about this, but just saying in general), but considering people who look like anything can be transgendered, and they don't have to choose to transition, it's impossible to tell at that point. Considering a post made after yours, it's a bit annoying that this concern is being marginalized when it is legitimate.

I feel like there's major projection issues going on whenever someone freaks out about "the perverts lurking around bathrooms to catch a glimpse and get off on strangers!" like this. They're f**king restrooms, no one is running around public restrooms naked if you're over the age of four. There's nothing sexual about the experience at all that the addition of a transgender person is going to completely disrupt or something.

I think there are legitimate reasons to separate facilities (practical reasons like needing literally different appliances and supplies for the different sexes in different restrooms) but I don't really see any "sexual" reason for separate rooms. Who cares.

Ok, look. I never said people would be 'running around naked'. I also specifically stated I don't mind sharing a bathroom with a transgendered woman, but if they do look male, then I'd like to know somehow that they are who they say they are. I don't want to be using a bathroom marked Ladies/Women and then having dudes coming in there, and a large majority of women I believe would side with me on that. If you care to, you can read the last paragraph (or more) of my post above. But I'm voicing a legitimate concern here and maybe you don't care about the issues I'm stating here, that's fine, but lots of people do and I don't think you should say it doesn't matter when in fact it does seem to matter to society right now.

And before/if you say that would be a rare occurrence, sure, you're probably right, but it will happen and in some situations, as I said, there would be no real good way to know if they belong in there.

[TDAS04]

I AM SO ASHAMED OF MY STATE NOW

Same here.  Though I'd feel better if Daugaard would just veto the awful bill.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

The law is stupid and is nothing more than red meat, but than again, the people who think a penis belongs in the ladies room and vice versa is also rather annoying. Individual rights are important, but the critical keystone of individualism, IMO, is the fact that your rights end at the tip of your nose. The solution, as someone else posted, is to have single occupancy bathrooms.

[Ebowed]

I feel like there's major projection issues going on whenever someone freaks out about "the perverts lurking around bathrooms to catch a glimpse and get off on strangers!" like this. They're f**king restrooms, no one is running around public restrooms naked if you're over the age of four. There's nothing sexual about the experience at all that the addition of a transgender person is going to completely disrupt or something.

Yep. I think the fact that people are seriously concerned that a transgender person is going to disrupt their bathroom experience is what leaves me with the most questions. What exactly do they think is going to happen?

Hopefully Daugaard sees reason here.

[Figueira]

The law is stupid and is nothing more than red meat, but than again, the people who think a penis belongs in the ladies room and vice versa is also rather annoying. Individual rights are important, but the critical keystone of individualism, IMO, is the fact that your rights end at the tip of your nose. The solution, as someone else posted, is to have single occupancy bathrooms.

[Bojack Horseman]

The law is stupid and is nothing more than red meat, but than again, the people who think a penis belongs in the ladies room and vice versa is also rather annoying. Individual rights are important, but the critical keystone of individualism, IMO, is the fact that your rights end at the tip of your nose. The solution, as someone else posted, is to have single occupancy bathrooms.

Agreed 100%. I'd probably sign it though.

[Green Line]

This is a needlessly antagonistic law.  It is correct though.  Keep your dicks out of the womens bathroom.  If it's no big deal then why even have sex-specific bathrooms in the first place.  The law also allows for trans to petition to use the other bathroom.  Seems fair to me!

[Marokai Backbeat]

Vetoed.

[Bojack Horseman]

Dammit! What are the odds of an override?

[This account no longer in use.]

Daugaard is FF.

[Figueira]

New favorite Republican governor, even if he vetoed it for the wrong reason.

[SUSAN CRUSHBONE]

relevant

[user12345]

What governors would sign a bill like this? I'm thinking Abbott and Brownback for sure.

[This account no longer in use.]

relevant

Signed

[TDAS04]

Daugaard is definitely better than his predecessor Rounds (though that's not saying much).

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Dammit! What are the odds of an override?

Article in OP says it only passed the Senate 20-15, so not happening.

[Joe Biden is your president. Deal with it.]

Daugaard is definitely better than his predecessor Rounds (though that's not saying much).