As of Tuesday, Target made a public announcement of its support for the federal Equality Act. The company has reiterated a policy to allow transgender people to use whichever bathroom or fitting room for the gender they identify as. This comes after Target's August statement telling customers they will stray away from gender based advertisements. Target is taking huge steps forward in the fight for transgender equality across the world.
The announcement was received with a lot of mixed reactions, much like their previous gender neutrality statement. A large portion of the population was ecstatic to see a huge manufacturer take a very large, very public step towards equality. On the other hand, people are concerned about "safety." These people feel that the new change puts children and others in danger. The logic behind this notion is that any person can go into any bathroom, potentially to rape, kidnap, or hurt others. The apprehensive group has decided to do a national campaign to "boycott" Target, which over 340,000 people have pledged to honor.I sympathize with those fears, believe me. It's extremely natural to fear what you do not know. That's exactly what is the basis for those fears, a basic fear of the unknown..and a little bit of prejudice.
Everyone is completely entitled to their own opinions and values, but those values should never degrade another person. Unfortunately, in the society we live in, they do. Transgender people are people, too. They have a right to be respected for whatever choices they make, whether you agree with them or not. Associating a sexual, gender, or lifestyle preference and acceptance with the evils of the world such as those who rape, murder, or hurt others is completely unjustified. The transgender community cannot be confined by the horrible actions of people who abuse the law.
But what about the comforts of the people who aren't in agreeance with the idea? I respect your views, and I'll never change your minds. I'm not saying that there aren’t scary scenarios of those who could abuse the idea, but the transgender community should not take the blame for those people. Using derogatory language or threatening to harm those people is disgusting, and make you no better than the people who might use Target's inclusiveness negatively. There is a way to respectively voice concerns for the future, without bullying a group who aren't causing harm. It's reasonable to fear the sexual predators and other criminals, but that has no reflection on the trans community. Transgender people live in fear everyday because their lifestyle is not considered "normal". Consider how it must feel for a transgender person to have to share a bathroom or fitting room with people who are ignorant and judgemental to their lifestyle along with associating them with heinous acts of violence that they didn’t commit. It's a two way street. We are all humans, show some compassion.
