I was recently in a discussion regarding Indiana Senate Bill 35, which criminalizes using the wrong gendered bathroom. Much of the discourse revolved around feeling safe in a bathroom, the possibility of being sexually harassed, protecting children, and so on. Much of the public discussion I have heard around this topic has been of a similar nature. The frustrating thing about this is most people are falling for the political ploy that this legislation is. It is not about protecting women or children, it is absolutely about discriminating against transgendered individuals.
There have been zero cases of reported sexual assaults perpetrated by transgendered people. There also has never been a case of a man dressing like a woman for the purposes of sexually assaulting a woman in the lady’s room. With the progression of LGBT rights, let us stop falling for lawmaker’s disingenuous attempts at pretending to protect the “innocent.”
If Indiana wants to improve its image, protecting those that are clearly discriminated against, such as transgendered people, should be the first action lawmakers take instead of creating laws to stop a phantom problem.
Joe Linksy
Bloomington
