OP ED: Target’s Gender Neutral Bathrooms is Not a “Stand for Inclusivity”
Target’s Recent Statement On Gender Neutral Bathrooms and Changing Rooms Is Not A “Stand For Inclusivity”
Perhaps you are a lateterm, pregnant woman having some sort of small emergency, and while the “single use” restroom is full you seek some measure of privacy; for you that means a space free from unknown men. Or, maybe you are a pubescent, teenage girl uncomfortable with your developing body (as most women will tell you they were at that age) and you prefer to try on clothing in the company of only women. Guess what, Target doesn’t care. Your concerns are not “included” in their corporate statement, published on April 19th entitled, “Continuing To Stand For Inclusivity”.
In their official statement published on their website, the company affirmed to the world that they “welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity”. The company views this as a reaffirmation of their support for The Equality Act of 2015, which would amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prevent discrimination on the basis of gender identity in public accommodations; public accommodations would inevitably include places like restrooms, changing rooms and locker rooms.
Target’s statement has added strong fuel to a raging national debate over the idea of allowing a person to choose their use of places like restrooms and changing rooms based in their “claimed” gender identity and not their biological sex. On the macro level, Conservative groups assert this puts women and children at increased risk of sexual predators, and constitutes yet another attack on traditional roles and the family.
On the micro level, many individuals have expressed that it makes them uncomfortable to use a bathroom or changing room with members of the opposite sex and they also do not want their children doing so. A petition drafted by the American Family Association (AFA) encouraging persons to Boycott Target over their statement has over a million signatures to date.
Once again with little understanding of the other side’s argument, members of the Progressive Movement have already jumped to categorize those who have expressed these honest concerns as bigots who obviously fear and hate the LGBT community. The reality, of course, could not be further from the claim.
Most people regardless of their political and religious beliefs understand there are people born with genetic conditions like Turner or Klinefelter Syndrome. Additionally, the psychological community labels, some persons with a condition called Gender Dysphoria, meaning they identify with a gender that others would not assign to them and therefore experience distress or impairment in daily living. The first thing that Progressives need to understand is that opposition to statements such as the one published by Target is not an attack on the afflicted.
In Target’s termsquite literallya fully biological male who simply “claims” to suffer from Gender Dysphoria could enter a woman’s bathroomor even worse a changing room or locker roomforcing women and girls to undress or shower right next to him without their consent.
Opposing these types of situations does not make anyone a bigot and that includes the many husbands and fathers also appalled by the idea of such circumstances. To reinforce Voltaire’s assertion that, “common sense is not so common”, how could one overlook the potential for violence, abuse and invasion of privacy under such lenient treatment of areas where people engage in highly personal activities many of which are related to human sexuality.
In fact, according to a Dallas crime blog published this past week, a man accused of recording a young woman in a Super Target changing room is currently being sought by police. This is just one highlighted example chosen for this article because it actually occurred at Target, however similar incidents have emerged all over the country. Target’s total commitment to a bathroom and changing room policy not remotely based in biology, has the potential to embolden other sexual predators to do the same.
Also worth mention is the total hypocrisy associated with the Progressive Movement’s laissez fair attitude toward this and related policies. Progressives love to assert that there is a pervasive “rape culture” in the US; their rhetoric tends to paint a picture of men as a formidable, threat to women, at least sexually speaking. If this is an accurate assertion, why would they want to grant any man a free pass to enter a closedoff area where women may be undressing?
After all, the only requirement they have set up now for men to do so is that they “claim” to “feel” like a woman themselves. And alas, if Progressives truly believe that so many men behave so antisocially, why would they move to demonize those exhibiting the very positive masculine trait of protective instinct over women and children? ESPN’s treatment of Curt Schilling is the shining national example of a new pervasive social environment where men are now punished for upholding the archetype of a “good man”. Providing protection from adversaries is a crucial role men serve as members of our families and the society at large.
Judging from the nomenclature constructed by the Target Corporation for their recent statement, they most likely consider themselves taking a bold stance on total “inclusivity” at their company as well as in the world at large. However, if we look at raw data, it is very difficult to understand just how many transgender people actually exist in the US. The most frequently cited statistic comes from The Williams Institute and says there are about 700,000 or 0.3 percent of adults who are transgender in the US. Putting the safety, privacy and comfortability of women and girls who are 53% of the population, beneath the “feelings” of so few does not constitute “inclusivity” by any stretch of the imagination.
Target’s statement was in fact, a lackluster attempt at gaining national publicity. It was a cheap sales pitch whose only effects stacked up to every Conservative claim, including, putting women and children at greater risk of sexual predators, diminishing the importance of some traditional gender roles and attacking our already fragile families.
About the Author:
Genevieve Malandra holds a BA in Communications from Temple University and a Masters in Business from St Josephs University. She is also a member of Kappa Tau Alpha, the National Journalism Honors Society. As a full-time publicist, she has served clients in industries as diverse as healthcare, beauty, fashion, and technology with tactics which include social media strategy, traditional media relations, and events. She is currently the Director of Strategic Communication at j2 Communications, located in suburban Philadelphia. In her spare time she enjoys publishing articles which thoughtfully educate others in regards to Conservative perspectives on women’s issues and the family.