Two weeks ago, I wrote an article where I discussed the governor of Mississippi signing the Religious Liberty Accommodations Act which allows businesses and religious groups to deny the LGBT community certain services and would be protected from any punishment. Two weeks later, Target showed their support for the federal Equality Act, which provides protection to LGBT individuals. But that’s not all. Towards the end of their statement, they made their stance on the issue by establishing that “we welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.” One big step forward to equality. But then, like all good things recently, Target’s statement was criticized and the American Family Association began a boycott against Target and over 1,000,000 people have signed the pledge! One million people!
The president of the AFA is encouraging people to sign the boycott because “This means a man can simply say he "feels like a woman today" and enter the women's restroom...even if young girls or women are already in there.” According to his logic, Target is allowing potential sexual predators to enter a woman’s bathroom whenever he feels like it and is, therefore, endangering the lives of women and children. (Let’s start with the lesser of two evils. So women and children are endangered when a man walks into their restroom, but a woman in a man’s bathroom isn’t exposed to the same kind of dangers? #Feminism)
The argument is not entirely invalid. Quite possibly, there could be potential predators who will take advantage of this situation to harass women or men in the bathrooms. Sure, but that kind of thing still happened before Target made its declaration. They are assuming that some and if not all transgendered people are sexual predators and it’s not even remotely true. And the AFA wanting to strip the transgendered people from going to the bathroom they want to just because of a couple of potential creeps, that’s immoral.
If a transgendered woman doesn’t feel comfortable going to the men’s room, then she shouldn’t have to. If you identify as a woman or as a man then you should be allowed to go into the bathroom they want. We don’t get to deny transgendered people to go the bathroom that they choose, we don’t get to tell a pregnant woman that she shouldn’t get an abortion, or that a gay couple can’t get married, or that an immigrant can’t come to the country. Because it's not our place to tell other people what they can or can't do with their lives. If these one million people were transgendered people protesting that it’s immoral it would make more sense than a million hateful, ignorant people bashing on people who just want to live the life they were born to live.
But Target is not the only company that has let people go to the bathroom where they want. And if you’re going to boycott Target then you should boycott these other companies as well: Apple, Microsoft, Nike, Capital One, Coke and Pepsi, Mac Makeup, Office Depot, Kellog's, Kraft, Google, and Disney! DISNEY! A child-friendly company lets people go to the bathroom wherever they identify with! And you might as well boycott American Airlines where everyone has literally been using the bathroom as everyone on the plane for years.
Your religious and political views may be whatever they may be but if your views are going to promote hate and injustice then you are in the wrong. Just like you wouldn’t want your own rights and liberties taken from you then you shouldn’t take it from anyone else. Target, alongside these other companies, are promoting equality for people. Just because someone is transgendered doesn’t mean they’re less of a person, they’re just the same as you and me, and shouldn’t have to be stuck in a political debate on where they should or shouldn’t go pee. People against the boycott next to speak up for those who won’t, so everyone, no matter what race, religion, sexual orientation, sexual preference, etc, can have the same rights as you and me.
