What a century we live in, where one of the biggest issues facing us is the question on which bathrooms one can use.
What is lost in the all-consuming media and political frenzy surrounding the debate is a simple question:
How many people are affected by these highly publicized federal government decisions?
The answer is — no one really knows.
The Williams Institute estimates that the transgender community makes up a minuscule 0.3% of the American population, a total of 700,000 people.
That’s one of the highest estimates available. An analysis by the U.S. Census Bureau identified less than 89,000 adults have changed their name and/or sexual identity in the United States between 1939 and 2010.
Consider that again. The best estimate of a U.S. Census Bureau has says that approximately 1,250 individuals change their birth gender annually.
Still, last month President Barack Obama couldn’t help himself.
Obama thrust his administration into this ridiculous debate about who gets to use which bathroom, comparing the bickering over what’s appropriate to the civil rights fight of the 1960s.
In response to North Carolina’s House Bill 2, which in part deals with transgender bathroom access, Obama ordered public schools to allow any student to use any bathroom they say matches their gender identity. His administration threatened the funding of anyone who doesn’t fall in line.
There have been uproars from conservatives concerned for the safety of opening up our restrooms to anyone who wants to enter, and rebuttals from Democrats.
Mainstream news talking heads have latched on, and angrily bicker back and forth over the issue.
Frankly, it’s ridiculous.
No matter which side of the debate you land on, one must accept that the transgender population of America is not the only community that struggles with issues involving public restrooms.
According to Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, about 1.4 million Americans suffer from Crohn’s disease, a painful disease that effects the frequency of bathroom trips. And yet — as terrible as their illness is – no one is suggesting we restructure the entire bathroom infrastructure of the United States.
In 2004, there were as many as 5 million people with dwarfism living in the United States as of 2004, according to Encyclopedia.com. One must assume that, because of the height differences between those with dwarfism and the average adult, there must be difficulties involved with using public restrooms.
There are many other ailments impacting a person’s use of the bathroom, but for some reason we are only debating the one that affects at most 0.3% of Americans.
There will always be niche groups with special needs and it is unrealistic to assume they can all be accommodated with special rules. So how is making this a national debate constructive?
Here’s the fact — It would be logistically impossible and staggeringly expensive to federally mandate specific bathroom accommodations for every single person.
It’s impractical and expensive to do so, something private developers have already recognized. In Charlotte, North Carolina, developers cited cost as the reason behind rejected the proposal of creating gender neutral bathrooms.
“Right now in the building code you have, for example, ‘Assembly’ – which would be a theater. You have to have a water closet or toilet: one for every 125 men, one for every 65 women. Now you include people who don’t fall under the male or female, how do you count them?” Georgie Marquez of Andre Marquez Architects in Norfolk, Virginia told CBN News, “It’s definitely going to be more expensive, especially because are they going to now have more toilets in the male bathrooms? It gets into the whole biology of things.”
When asked about his opinion on the Today show, Trump said, “There have been very few complaints the way it is. People go, they use the bathroom that they feel is appropriate. There has been so little trouble, and the problem with what happened in North Carolina is the strife and the economic punishment that they’re taking.”
And he’s right.
When it comes to the transgender bathroom issue, there have been so few incidents where it posed an issue, and so few Americans are affected, is it undeserving of federal attention.
Insisting on expensive and heavy handed federal government intervention is the exact problem with big government.
It’s overreach, plain and simple.
This is why local governments exist. Let this debate go to town councils and county school districts. Leave this up to private businesses to decide what cost effective, fair accommodation for their customers is.
The bathroom is not a place for the federal government.
— The Horn editorial team
In the past 8 years the majority of all new jobs are low wage non benefit ones. Last month in the entire USA only 38,000 jobs were created, The middle east is in turmoil that makes the 7th century look progressive. We have college graduates with skills that wouldn’t have gotten them out of 7th grade 35 years back. Over 45% of our citizens are on some welfare program. Yet these issues are ignored.
I have learned. Recently .the stupid issues hillary ,obama gang are bringing to front if you pay attention are brought up and one big comment by boh or one and then media slams and harasses republican party and hound and hound any way all these things are distractions aimed at republican party members to take focus away from real issues the dems do not want people to hear plans or solutions the Republicans i.e. Mr.Donald Trump have to say about plans or real issues because to hear solutions and plans from Trump that are sensable and are real Trump will be elected the more Trump fights the media and the dems on information or statements that have been twisted however and by who ever Trump can never get his message out to the average voter who rely on media and news reports .I don’t belive a single word aimed at trump by any democrat .there all nasty vile evil selfish dumb narcissists.that are criminals . Obama had it right last election . ” hillary will say anything and do nothing ” to be president. Being president for a clinton is just another so called legal way to steal commit crimes such murder and esbinoge, money laundering and voting for another clinton we all may as well turn over and die .
Paula:
You are right Ms Paula; however, Mr Trump is human and he does make mistakes. Our job as American Citizens is to understand the intentions of every candidate to see if they stack up to integrity of the office. IMHO, Mr. Trump does this and more. What I am saying is, that folks like Herman Cain would have made a wonderful president, but because of one mistake that was unrelated and no body’s business but his, he was crucified in the election. I’m not at all defending what he did, but it is all between him and his God and none of anyone else’s business and had absolutely nothing to do with his ability to run the Country. Therefore, One of much lesser degree was chosen and as a result, America suffered greatly. Whether a person is a Christian or not, I would like to suggest a scripture to read and get the full meaning of. Please contemplate what Solomon is trying to articulate in this scripture. I am sure that we can understand that this is exactly what is happening in America today:: (Ecc. 10:5-7) “There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, as an error which proceedeth from the ruler: Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in low place. I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth”. (rich= Intelligence; horses= Positions of authority or royalty)
These issues would not be such big issues if the demoRat media wasn’t lock step with their masters..03 percent of the population can have such a profound effect on society is beyond rational comprehension. It really shows how this country has digressed in the last 7years.We will never regain sanity or control. What a shame.
If we could wave a magic wand and instantly change all bathrooms into single stalls, then this would solve the problem? I bet some scheming lawyer would then ‘discover’ some new form of discrimination in the new arrangement. And like it has already been said over and over this is to draw attention away from important issues that really need attention.
In 94 on my 2nd deployment we pulled in to Brest, France for the 50th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. While on liberty me a couple of shipmates hit a bar. We noticed that their was kind of a long line for the Head. We had a few drinks and got in line for the head. The line had male and females in same line. Didn’t think much of it. Went through doorway line turned left and only one door way left in front of us. Made the right turn at next doorway with no door. A girl was squating over the left hand hole in the floor. I hesitated for a second before saying fuckit. The hard had two holes in the floor with forward and backwards facing foot prints for each hole. It also had no door or walls between the holes. I stood there relieving myself with a female relieving herself squatting next to me and the next person in line standing in doorway behind me in front of her. Remove all doors and walls from all bathrooms and you will have the bathrooms/ heads we had in boot camp aka shitters with a view.
Satan is unleashing his power upon the Earth, using the Zombie like, mindless Liberals to promote his agenda in every facet of our culture. Even their language is decrepit, base, vulgar, and disrespectful.
God Help Us To Maintain Our Dignity, Integrity, and Character as Human Beings!
Good article. The last two paragraphs sum up the whole issue. There is nothing more that needs to be said.