magine having to pee. You don’t only have to pee, but you’ve been stuck in a car driving down the interstate and your bladder is about to explode. Finally, you convince the driver to pull over. You run into the nearest store, but wait, now you don’t know what to do. You are a man. You look like a man. You have a beard. You are wearing men’s clothing. But the law is telling you to go into the women’s bathroom because the sex on your birth certificate reads female. This is an issue. What will the women think? Will they be scared when they see a grown man walk into the ladies’ room? 

“It’s okay,” some voice says. “Just tell them you’re transgender.”

So you, with your beard and men’s jeans, walk into the women’s bathroom where there are young girls, mothers, old ladies and a lot of estrogen. Does anyone see what’s wrong with this scenario?

Recently, many people have been angry over Target’s statement saying transgender people can use the bathroom they identify with. Their main argument is that this means creepy men can say, “Oh, I identify as a girl,” and then use the girls’ restroom to sexually assault or peep on girls, and vice versa for women in men’s bathrooms. 

But here’s the thing. By forcing transgender people to use the bathroom with the sex on their birth certificate, you are forcing men to pee in a ladies room and you are forcing women to pee with grown men. And you don’t think there will be assault and abuse from that?

You have been peeing with transgender people, gays and bisexuals forever. By allowing transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice will not change that. What it will change is this: there will be less discrimination and there will be more acceptance. 

The first step we must take as humane people is to break down the stereotypes surrounding transgender people. They are not crazy. They are not weird. They are not creepy. They are people. They have to pee. And they should not be harassed, victimized or segregated when doing something so natural as using the bathroom.

Transgender people are not “men dressing up as women.” They are not sexual predators. 

There are people in the world who are sexual predators, however, but they could have always pretended to be a woman in order to enter girls’ restrooms if they so choose. A law allowing transgender people to enter the bathroom they identify with does not change that. 

And as it is, we all know sexual predators have always obeyed the law anyway, right? (Cough, cough)

If it is decided to not allow transgender people to enter the bathroom they identify with, there will be increased hate. There will be increased discrimination. But it will not last. If this issue isn’t passed today, then it will be eventually. People will not be quiet. 

The only solution past allowing transgender people to go in the bathroom of their choice is to have completely gender neutral bathrooms. Not boy bathrooms, but also girl and gender neutral bathrooms. But only gender neutral bathrooms. This would allow all people to use the bathroom without fear.

Until then, however, consider the fact that transgender people have always been using a bathroom. You have probably shared a bathroom with a transgender person and did not even know it. Were you okay? Did you survive? I assume your answer is yes. Because all you both wanted to do was pee.