Yet again, another social issue is sweeping the nation by storm. Many people around the country are fighting for the rights of the transgender citizen. There are claims from many people that say they do not want transgender people going into the bathroom of the sex that they were not assigned with at birth because they are afraid that their children will be raped.
However, there are no stories in any news reports that tell a story of a person claiming to be transgender to go into the bathroom of their opposite sex just to rape somebody. This is a gigantic issue in America because all the transgender community is asking for is their basic right to use a bathroom. They want to be able to go into a bathroom, do their business, and leave. That is all they seem to be asking for but yet the backlash from the American citizens who are against this is strong.
Last week, Target announced that no matter what gender a person identifies as, they are welcome to use whatever bathroom they see fit for their gender identification. If you are a transgender female, you can use the girls bathroom. This movement in corporate America can have a possible trickling effect and slowly make its way into other big business and stores across the country. However, this terrific social movement has been halted by transphobic Americans.
There are more than 700,000 people currently boycotting Target over their decision. These people are vowing not to shop at Target as long as the company allows transgender customers to use the bathrooms of their choice. The people discriminating against the transgender community fail to realize that all these people want is for their gender identity to be accepted so they can do everyday things like use public restrooms. The trans community does not want to make a scene or make this violent but transphobic Americans are failing to realize that being transgender, just like being gay, lesbian, black, latino, and so on, is not a choice.
Presidential candidate Ted Cruz states “You don’t have a right to intrude upon the rights of others because whether or not a man believes he’s a woman, there are a lot of women who would like to be able to use a public restroom in peace without having a man there — and when there are children involved, you don’t have a right to impose your lifestyle on others.” He stated this to a reporter from ThinkProcess.org. What Mr. Cruz fails to realize is that the transgender community is not trying to "impose their lifestyle on others". These people just want their basic social rights and apparently it is an issue for people who think their children are going to be hurt by a transgender person while in a public restroom area.
This hot topic has been seen all over multiple news outlets across the US and on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook as well. The fight for equal rights in America is still ongoing and what the people who are against the equal rights of transgender people need to realize is that their gender identity is not a choice, they are not trying to hurt anybody, and we need to learn to love one another, not hate.
