Maine Commission Moves to Ban Gender Specific Facilities in Schools

[Trefellin]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/04/08...throoms-teams/

The Maine Human Rights Commissions taking heat over a proposal to ban schools from enforcing gender divisions in sports teams, school organizations, bathrooms and locker rooms, saying forcing a student into a particular room or group because of their biological gender amounts to discrimination.

The little girls' room won't be just for little girls anymore, if the Maine Human Rights Commission has its way.

The issue came to light last year when the commission ruled that, under the Maine Human Rights Act, a school had discriminated against a 12-year-old transgender boy by denying him access to the girls' bathroom.

Now the commission aims to issue guidelines on how schools should deal with similar situations in the future. It would make Maine the first state to implement such guidelines for schools as young as preschool and nursery -- and even some private schools.

Some school districts and organizations have criticized the commission for making its initial ruling without getting enough input from conservative groups, and then for coming up with proposed guidelines in what some described as closed-door sessions.

"When we separate biology it gets very confusing for everyone," Mike Heath, president of the American Family Association of New England, told FoxNews.com. "Now we're talking about bathrooms where ladies will entertain the possibility of men being in the restroom with them, and every woman I've talked to has indicated that they wouldn't be comfortable with that."

Critics seem especially concerned about the mixing of genders in bathrooms and locker rooms. The commission's proposal reads: "Transgender students must be allowed access to the bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity or expression or, if they prefer, to existing single-stall bathrooms."

"There's not a whole lot of places a girl can expect privacy, but the bathroom should be one of them," said Celeste. "And there's not a whole lot of places a boy expects privacy, but the bathroom should be one of them. Married couples close the door when they go to the bathroom.”

That's only sections of the article so I suggest you read the rest.

The intention is that transgender students would be able to use whatever facilities or play on whatever sports team they want but this has the immense possibility to be extremely problematic. If separate facilities are discriminatory than males and females should share all facilities. Bathrooms, locker rooms. That would make school a hell on earth for most teenagers. Any girls here would have liked to shower with the boys after gym class? Guys? Sports teams also cause trouble too.

This is a stupid, stupid experiment and it will fail horribly. Am I overreacting?

[Bernard_Monsha]

Originally Posted by Trefellin

[

The intention is that transgender students

So they want to force everyone else to modify their behavior so a few mentally ill special snowflakes don't have their feeling hurt? Color me unimpressed.

[A Dead Spy]

Actually, what I want to know is what the hell kind of 12-year-old would want to undergo a sex change? I can only imagine the amount of ridicule the classmates are giving this kid.

Also, I hate pronouns.

[Trefellin]

Originally Posted by Bernard_Monsha

So they want to force everyone else to modify their behavior so a few mentally ill special snowflakes don't have their feeling hurt? Color me unimpressed.

Yes.

I think this is reaching the point where stepping on the majority to accommodate the minority is going too far.

[Midoriko87]

I would be understanding of the bathroom/locker room situation for transgendered students, but it says that kids don't have to submit documentation proving that they are transgendered. That's crazy.

Also, I see this as possibly negatively affecting (not benefiting) transgendered students. Not too many people seem to be able to make the distinction between gender identity/gender dysphoria and sexual orientation. Though, I hear younger kids are more accepting than older children/teens/adults, makes sense. 'Course, a transgendered child using the restroom assigned to their biological gender could prove to be equally harmful.

Sports, too. A transgendered girl may have an unfair advantage over biological girls, and a transgendered boy might slow his team down/injure himself.

Poor kids, they were dealt a crappy hand.

[Schadenfreude]

Co-ed changerooms, eh?

[CrossboneGundam]

Trannies need to suck it up and walk it off.

[Sora N]

Originally Posted by Bernard_Monsha

so a few mentally ill special snowflakes don't have their feeling hurt?

I’m sorry however I find that to be completely offensive…

I am confused about one part of the article. Is the boy truly transgender (had the operation from boy to girl) or dose he still have the male anatomy?

As for the rest of the article I disagree with “unisex” bathrooms and locker rooms…personally they would do better if they just included a separate bathrooms/locker rooms in both female/male facilities (for example: a lot of women bathrooms have a family orientated bathrooms/lounges so they can include all of their children whether they are female or male.)

As for school sports teams and school organizations I think all genders should be given the right to be included if they want too…I know a few girls at my high school wanted to be on the Football team however they could only end up being Managers and helpers to the Coaches.

[goddessofanime]

I"m fine with this.

Why not? Let everyone be miserable together We all poop and pee regardless of gender.

Besides, I get the feeling that this won't last long anyway.

[Bernard_Monsha]

Originally Posted by Sora N

I’m sorry however I find that to be completely offensive…

GID is a mental illness, recognized by both the psychiatric and medical community. Making an entire group of people conform to one persons overwrought sense of entitlement is also a bad thing. If they let him run around in a dress wearing lipstick during school hours he should consider himself well ahead of the game.

[Aragami]

They need to set up a transgender bathroom, A THIRD BATHROOM, (if that is actually a legitimate issue), not put both sexes in the same bathroom. I am proposing a 3 bathroom system(M/F/?) rather than a 1 bathroom system.

When I remember how I could little restrain myself when i was young, I think this is bad. When i remember how I was shy, I think of how terribly strenuous and awkward it would be to share bathrooms with girls.

[Midoriko87]

If I were a parent, I'd hold off on the sex-change business. By adolescence, 75% of clinically referred boys have either identified as homosexual/bisexual, no longer show symptoms of Gender Identity Disorder, and no longer meet the criteria to be diagnosed as having Gender Identity Disorder.

[l0k1]

Transgendered at 12? I don't even remember being 12 but I'm pretty sure I barely knew what transgendered meant. I consider adolescents opinions on any subject irrelevant, hence they should shutup and do what they're told.

Originally Posted by Midoriko87

If I were a parent, I'd hold off on the sex-change business. By adolescence, 75% of clinically referred boys have either identified as homosexual/bisexual, no longer show symptoms of Gender Identity Disorder, and no longer meet the criteria to be diagnosed as having Gender Identity Disorder.

I have a friend, who spent many years convinced he wanted to have a sexchange, took the hormones and such. Then one day suddenly changed his mind, gets quite upset if you remind him of it nowadays.

[KatayokuのTenshi]

This seems ...ill advised.

Originally Posted by Trefellin

The intention is that transgender students would be able to use whatever facilities or play on whatever sports team they want

Laudable, but unworkable I fear. I don't think there's any way to make everyone happy. The playing sports bit really should be easily implemented (although people will always complain, I mean even at the highest level sports teams are still segregated by gender anyway...) but the changing room thing?

Originally Posted by Sora N

I am confused about one part of the article. Is the boy truly transgender (had the operation from boy to girl) or dose he still have the male anatomy?

A person's anatomy isn't what makes them transgendered.

Originally Posted by Aragami

They need to set up a transgender bathroom, A THIRD BATHROOM, (if that is actually a legitimate issue), not put both sexes in the same bathroom. I am proposing a 3 bathroom system(M/F/?) rather than a 1 bathroom system.

But if you start adding bathrooms you'd need to add one for each type of trangendered (well there's MtF and FtM for a start and then there're a dozen and one other varations that I can't even keep track of).

Originally Posted by Aragami

When I remember how I could little restrain myself when i was young, I think this is bad. When i remember how I was shy, I think of how terribly strenuous and awkward it would be to share bathrooms with girls.

But you are thinking of it from a male's perspective(?).

Originally Posted by Midoriko87

By adolescence, 75% of clinically referred boys have either identified as homosexual/bisexual, no longer show symptoms of Gender Identity Disorder, and no longer meet the criteria to be diagnosed as having Gender Identity Disorder.

That's why we need competent/trained psychiatrists, to figure out which is which... who is which. (no idea if they already all are/if it would help, but you can't very well deny the need. -_-; )

Originally Posted by l0k1

Transgendered at 12? I don't even remember being 12 but I'm pretty sure I barely knew what transgendered meant. I consider adolescents opinions on any subject irrelevant, hence they should shutup and do what they're told.

You might if you felt that you were a girl.

[Aragami]

Originally Posted by KatayokuのTenshi

But if you start adding bathrooms you'd need to add one for each type of trangendered (well there's MtF and FtM for a start and then there're a dozen and one other varations that I can't even keep track of).



But you are thinking of it from a male's perspective(?).

Yes that's a male's perspective. However I should be more worried for the girls... Maybe having girls in the bathroom would be okay -_^ but seriously there would be 4 times as much bathroom sex.

You'd just have to see if the transgendered people would be comfortable in a third sex bathroom. I bet they would be, especially if they are OFFICIALY LGBT.

Lesbians, with dike haircuts, often approach me and think I will be on their wavelength (because i look gay?). There is a lot of camaraderie between people that don't fit into normal gender classifications. However, they don't tend to be my type. ... Anyways its normal for all colors of the gay rainbow to unite under one flag, or to pee in the same pot.

Also, THough i can't defend this, I don't believe that g ay people are as strongly, magnetically attracted to one another as straight people are to the opposite sex.