Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

The Naked Jesus

Home
Progressive Christian
Here’s A Dilemma

Here’s A Dilemma

Last updated on: April 11, 2016 at 10:18 am by John O'Keefe

Here’s A Dilemma 2016-04-11T10:18:57-05:00 John O'Keefe

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A-PATHEOS-TNJ4.fw Let me see if I understand, with all the injustices facing humanity you’re actually concerned with who uses what bathroom? I think your priorities are a bit messed up. I’ll admit, centering on who can, and cannot, use a bathroom understates some of the state laws being passed. Those laws go deeper than which restroom you use; they center on discrimination. Giving anyone the excuse to use their deeply held religious beliefs to discriminate against another is wrong. It’s sad those deeply held religious beliefs don’t come in handy when addressing issues of economic injustice, social injustice, or any of the many injustices facing humanity. But, let’s look at how ridicules it is to worry about who uses what bathroom.

Here’s A Dilemma: A single dad decides to take his little girl out for a Daddy and Daughter Lunch. He loves the time he gets to spend with his little girl on days like this. They spend time drinking milkshakes. eating burgers, talking about My Little Ponies. He loves hearing her little laugh when he blows bubbles in his milkshake. Just before they finished eating their lunch his little girl did what is natural for all children her age, and let’s just say it wasn’t pleasant. Being a single dad, he knew he could handle this situation, after all he did it all the time. He picked-up his little girl, grabbed her diaper bag, and headed to the restroom to change her. As he headed into the Men’s Room he noticed it didn’t have a changing table. The only changing table was in the Ladies Room.

What should he do? Should he go into the Ladies Room to change his daughter? Should he grab a strange female employee, or customer, to have them change her? What if, in the middle of changing her a women walked in on him? Should he be arrested, charged and fined, or placed in jail? After all, his birth certificate says “male.”

Now, let’s address some points:
Recently, Michael Brown wrote a response to Bruce Springsteen canceling his concert in Greensboro, NC over HB2 [Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act – a pretty impressive title for a bill that says where you can pee]. The law centers on transgender people and what public restroom they can use, based on the sex identified on their birth certificate. Now, I’m not addressing anything Michael wrote as if I speaking for Bruce – I don’t, but Michael’s questions seemed to silly, I could not let some of them pass. I get a kick out of minister and theologians who write open letters to famous people as if they actually expect the famous person to address their questions. Let’s be honest, it should not be called a Open Letter To Bruce, it should be called An Open Letter to Pander to The People Who I Am Trying to Impress. Here are a few of the questions he asked Bruce.

He asked: How do you know if someone is really “transgender” or not?
I Wonder: You don’t – and that is the reality of the world. Why would it matter? If you can’t tell if someone was “born one gender, but looks another” why should it matter to you, or anyone? If you are unable to tell the difference, why should it matter? Could it be, you want to know so it would be easier to assault, insult, and discriminate against trans?

He asked: What’s the difference between someone with “gender dysphoria” (or, as it used to be called, “gender identity disorder”) and someone, say, with schizophrenia or “multiple personality disorder” or some other psychological condition?
I Wonder: Michael holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures, so I’m pretty sure he is not qualified to make a diagnosis, or speak about the nuances between dysphoria and disorder, and Bruce is a musician – so to ask him to make a diagnosis seems even weirder.

According to the DSM-5 [Changing to ICD-10], gender identity disorder is no longer the term – it is called gender dysphoria. A Dysphoria is a profound state of unease or dissatisfaction while a disorder is a derangement or abnormality of function; a morbid physical or mental state. Since most of the Transgender people I know don’t have a morbid mental state, I think he is way off base and pandering to his readers. Gender dysphoria, is a way of helping people who question their identity to find a comfortable place, not to force them into living the binary-social structure of “Male/Female” gender roles.

He asked: Let’s take this one step further. If any man who claims to be a woman can use women’s bathrooms and locker rooms, then how do we keep the sexual predators out?
I Wonder: Please, using a public restroom is a deeper safety concern for transgender people when it comes to predators. His question assumes that by making people use the bathroom assigned by their birth gender would stop all sexual predators, but we know that’s not the case. This question is insulting, and plays into the twisted conservative idea that anyone who does not meet the social norms, is by nature a pervert.

He asked: Do you think it might be traumatic for a little girl using the library bathroom to see this big man walk into her room wearing a dress and a wig?
I Wonder: I don’t know, would it be traumatic if some large women, wearing a wig and a dress, came in to use the restroom? I’m wondering of this questions is designed to bet others to envision a Bear walking into the bathroom with poorly designed low cut, off style mini-dress, with their hairy arms, chest and legs wearing an ill-fitting, off color, wig? But, even if that is the case, why should it matter?

Just a thought:
Let’s be realistic, trans people use the restroom for the same reason we all use the restroom. I mean, do we truly desire to check out what others are doing in the restroom? I know I don’t. Besides, if you’re checking-out the genitalia of the person using the stall next to you, who’s the sexual predator in the restroom?

Previous Post

April 5, 2016

You Anoint Kings, You Elect Presidents

Next Post

April 19, 2016 The Process of Life

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category abuse bad Bad Theology Blue Christian Karma Christmas Church Clinton Coming Out Day Cruz Dance Dangerous Church Discrimination Disruptive Faith disruptive peace Disrutive Church Doctrine Dominionism Evangelism Faith Fun good grace Hell Hillary Inclusive Justice Keller Leadership love Messy Church Missional New Parable Open Peace Play Politics Prayer Progressive racism random Safe Church Sessions Story Theology Trump truth Uncategorized

Select a Month March 2019 December 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 February 2018 December 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 October 2015 August 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What animal tricked Eve into eating the forbidden fruit?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Lion Eagle Bear Serpent