[Kristin85]

Originally Posted by ctwhitechin

what are you going to have a guard at these "unisex bathrooms" to check to see who is using them? if this is what CT is wasting $$ on debating, no wonder we have problems. Go in the bathroom, do your business and get out. Now I have to worry about some predator claiming to be transgender in the bathroom with my wife? This is out of control. If a woman wants to use the mens bathroom in an emergency so be it, I don't care. If a man needs to use the womans for same reason (usually a line is way less at the men's) then also whatever..get in and get out.

a sexual predator is going to do what he/she wants regardless...I can't believe CT legislators even debated over this rule.

I think the proof of being transgendered would only be helpful after the fact to prove if someone actually had the right to be in a bathroom if brought to court for violating the law (i.e. if a guy is suspected of lurking in a ladies' bathroom to peep). Any way you cut it, this law is ridiculous and infringes on personal rights. This never should have ended up in writing, and now that it is the state needs to do something so that it doesn't allow whack jobs abusing the system to act in disgusting ways just because they threw on dresses and heels.

[mlassoff]

Originally Posted by Kristin85

I think the proof of being transgendered would only be helpful after the fact to prove if someone actually had the right to be in a bathroom if brought to court for violating the law (i.e. if a guy is suspected of lurking in a ladies' bathroom to peep). Any way you cut it, this law is ridiculous and infringes on personal rights. This never should have ended up in writing, and now that it is the state needs to do something so that it doesn't allow whack jobs abusing the system to act in disgusting ways just because they threw on dresses and heels.

The law already prohibits whackjobs from acting in disgusting ways in public.

This law does nothing to legalize that type of activity for those who cross-dress.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by Kristin85

I understand concerns about children being confused and guys that aren't actually transgendered taking advantage of the new law.

Kristin, that's just it. All the FIC was asking for was an amendment regarding sexual predators and every single amendment proposal was shot down. Every one and it was straight down the party line by Democrats. They WANTED it to be a bathroom bill. (Three Republicans voted for it as well)

Originally Posted by mlassoff

The law already prohibits whackjobs from acting in disgusting ways in public.

This law does nothing to legalize that type of activity for those who cross-dress.

It doesn't legalize it, but it enables it and gives it a nice helping hand. And you once again are trying to say those in opposition are targeting the cross dressers when that is NOT the case. We are targeting a stupid law that in no way can be enforced with any kind of standard and allows men into a womans privacy and vice versa.

It's as stupid as being asked if you have any bombs on you at the airport. Imagine if that was the only security measure used. Well this is that.

The first woman who gets targeted by a predator in drag, followed into the bathroom and raped I'm sure will thank you for your support of a bill like this.

Someone close to me was in fact the victom of a rape and let me tell you...she is NOT happy about this bill and in fact freaked out to the point she may leave the state based on this alone.

Where is your heart towards those people? Instead we worry about sensitivity issues and open the door for criminals to hunt. Great.

[mlassoff]

Originally Posted by JViello

The first woman who gets targeted by a predator in drag, followed into the bathroom and raped I'm sure will thank you for your support of a bill like this.

Someone close to me was in fact the victom of a rape and let me tell you...she is NOT happy about this bill and in fact freaked out to the point she may leave the state based on this alone.

Where is your heart towards those people? Instead we worry about sensitivity issues and open the door for criminals to hunt. Great.

Sadly, there are lots of places people get raped.

All this bill does is make life a little more comfortable for a small group of people who lead many times lead very uncomfortable lives.

I just don't see the danger. Rape is already illegal. I don't think this opens the door to more of it, and would bet that there is no increase of sexual assaults due to this bill.

When a sex offender gets arrest in drag in a ladies room, let me know.

[Tourian]

I think there have been three times in my life I've gone into a public restroom and there have been women in there. Once was at a club, once at a sporting event and once at an amusement park. All three times the guys (including me) didn't even flinch but calmly went about our business and left - not making eye contact or talking at all. The girl in the club was arguing with a guy and even made reference to his manhood being inadequate and started asking other men in the bathroom to show her theirs - no one answered her challenge.

I've never used a women's restroom that wasn't a single stall bathroom deal where I could lock the door, so I can't really comment on what it is like to be on the opposite side - however, I see the OP's side of it. However, I don't think this law will be an increase in sexual assaults and I would like to see the data supporting the claim that everywhere these laws go into place, these crimes rise. I would like to think that as a society as a whole, we are good people and that there are safety in numbers. If my wife had to take my 3 y.o. into a men's bathroom because the line was too long and there were say, five, six or more men present - that nothing would happen. To me, most people who do that sort of thing are cowards and aren't going to attack a woman with so many other people around so I don't see what the big deal is.

[JViello]

Originally Posted by mlassoff

Sadly, there are lots of places people get raped.

I just don't see the danger.

That's obvious. Lots of people get shot by guns, are you saying you are in support of relaxing gun laws? Why would you be for increasing opportunity for such a horrible thing?

Originally Posted by mlassoff

When a sex offender gets arrest in drag in a ladies room, let me know.

Great reactionary response. I love how a proactive progressive is now wanting to be inactive and passive.

[JViello]

If you people would take 5 minutes to do a shred of research you would find just how common bathroom attacks are right now. Why on God's earth would we make it MORE EASY for this to take place?

Here is a recent one:

11-Year-Old Girl Gang Raped in California Park Bathroom
11-Year-Old Girl Gang Raped in California Park Bathroom - FoxNews.com

Oooo I know a link to evil "Fox News"...don't bother going there.

[mlassoff]

Originally Posted by JViello

If you people would take 5 minutes to do a shred of research you would find just how common bathroom attacks are right now. Why on God's earth would we make it MORE EASY for this to take place?

Here is a recent one:

11-Year-Old Girl Gang Raped in California Park Bathroom
11-Year-Old Girl Gang Raped in California Park Bathroom - FoxNews.com

Oooo I know a link to evil "Fox News"...don't bother going there.

Red Herring.

This doesn't say there has been an increase in these types of attacks, unless I missed it.

None of these men used cross dressing to enter the bathroom.

Completely irrelevant to the discussion at hand.

I'm not dismissing it cause it's Fox News. I"m dismissing it because, while tragic, this event was irrelevant... unless you are trying to claim that this legislation will increase gang rapes in public restrooms.

Let me know when this type of attack is perpetrated by a bunch of cross-dressers hanging out in a restroom and you may have a case.

[MrGompers]

Quote:
Originally Posted by MrGompers
Halloween will be more interesting now.


I'm more surprised they didn't propose building new bathrooms, men, women, and maybe. Imagine all the make work jobs that would have created.

Originally Posted by Antlered Chamataka

Really?? That would be a waste of taxpayer money.

That's the point. I don't think you know the definition of "make work jobs"

[goldenband]

Originally Posted by Kristin85

Having known a transgendered boy in high school, I can definitively say that the public restroom issue was hell for him. He dressed like a girl, talked like a girl, and looked exactly like a girl. Girls did not have any problem with him coming into our bathrooms, but teachers found out about it and forced him to use the male bathrooms. He was repeatedly taunted and assaulted, primarily when using the restroom. He used to skip gym, but teachers found out about it and forced him to attend and use the men's showers. The harassment got so bad that he moved. I am sure it is situations like this that caused the new law to pass.

I suppose it's pointing out the obvious, but I think there are posters in this thread who implicitly support that kind of harassment, and are against this bill in large part because they want transgendered people to be on the receiving end of violence as a means of discouraging their existence (at least openly).

All this stuff about sexual predation is totally bogus: it's really about wanting to maintain a society in which the traditional roles are preserved, when necessary, via force. Of course the posters in question wouldn't attack a TG person themselves, but they also tacitly approve of third parties who do so, because it helps to maintain the kind of social order they prefer.

(Or just because a guy in a skirt creeps them out, and they'd rather see him in traction for six months than ever have to look at that again.)