My question on the bathroom laws

[-Apples-]

I know states may pass their own laws that others would disapprove of, but that doesn't lead to mass boycotts in general. But here's a question. Why do bathroom laws actually lead to many people and businesses boycotting the state and not other laws that are just as bad (like DOMA and Voter ID laws)? I wonder what makes them uniquely bad that it makes others not want to visit the state. I've been researching on Google to find out the answer to my question, and it's not giving me the answer I wanted, so try to give your best answer.

Don't worry guys. I am against bathroom laws too (the ones that require transgender people to use bathrooms of their biological sex). I believe the decision should be left up to the CEOs, superintendents, and small business owners, but not the law from any government (city, state, or federal). North Carolina faced mass boycotts when they passed a bathroom law to where it lead to a huge economic fallout. Texas is considering on passing one too. I hope the bill fails. Regardless of leniency, no bathroom laws should be passed. I do not want my home state to face mass unemployment or mass GDP decline due to many people boycotting the state. It appears that boycotts like what NC had do more damage to the economy than increased funding on expensive programs.

 

[Miii]

Bathroom laws are ridiculous. I feel like this issue has blown up because the media and people that support it won't shut up about it. What bathrooms are in which business/ school should be left to the people in charge of it. If a privately owned business doesn't want a transgender bathroom, then tough ****; use a unisex/ family bathroom. Go across the street if it bothers you that much (which it shouldn't). And if you just can't hold it, use the bathroom of the gender you look the most like in the moment to prevent conflict. You're only in there for a few minutes, anyway.

Some people's hurt feelings shouldn't force businesses across an entire state or states to build a porcelain thrown just especially for them (I'm talking about instances in which business are required to have a transgender bathroom, not so much laws that force them to use a particular bathroom, though I think that, too, is none of the government's business).

 

[~Unicorn~]

I used to think "wait, what bathroom do transgender people even use?"

There are some transgender/gay people in my school, I find them using their biological sex bathroom, don't seem to worry about it...

And some places don't have family bathrooms

 

[fell_and_forgot]

Bathroom laws are dumb. I'm a cis chick but I use men's bathrooms if the girl's one are too crowded, nobody has ever caught me or had a problem with it. The bathroom laws honestly seem to be more of a "passing as that gender" test, as they're not gonna question somebody who looks like a dude entering a men's bathroom :/

 

[-Apples-]

I understand that bathroom laws are dumb, but what makes them so uniquely bad that leads to many people boycotting the states that pass laws like that?

I hate state boycotts like that. I wouldn't defend the law, but I would defend the state of Texas no matter what, even if the law passes. That means if anyone is boycotting the state, I would not show any respect towards whoever is boycotting, and I would not make any business with them. Granted, I am already boycotting Oregon for their new abortion law and California for banning state-funded travel to Texas (as well as their other extreme liberal policies more extreme than bathroom laws), but I live in Texas, and I don't want them to suffer economically.

 

[Corrie]

Tbh I've never seen anyone get in trouble for using the opposite sex's bathroom. I once accidentally used the males bathroom and no one said anything.

 

[Romaki]

It's absolutely ridiculous. No one cares if someone accidentally uses the wrong bathroom, but people want to police and get rid off the trans community in public. Businesses speak publically about public issues to let people know their stances, I'm sure there are many businesses making decisions based on other laws they cannot support.

 

[-Apples-]

Tbh I've never seen anyone get in trouble for using the opposite sex's bathroom. I once accidentally used the males bathroom and no one said anything.

Pretty interesting story. If there's anything you (or anybody) shouldn't do in the bathroom, it would be peeing on the floor (intentionally), pooping in a urinal, or writing graffiti on any bathroom wall. Gendered bathrooms weren't there for discrimination. It's basically telling you that men go to one and women go to another. As for the trans thing, it makes perfect sense that someone looking like a man uses the mens restroom and vice versa, regardless of sex. However, like I said before, businesses and schools have the right to decide what to do with restrooms. There shouldn't be any laws regulating that.

Good thing that Texas businesses oppose the bathroom bill and are asking for a stop. Even I'm with them. But they have to realize that even if the bill fails again, some groups are already boycotting the state for banning cities from protecting illegal immigrants or restricing police from questioning citizenship status of immigrants. And California added Texas to the list of states they banned state-funded travel to for another law they passed.

 

[pastellrain]

The thing I wonder is why bathrooms are even divided by sex/gender anyway.

 

[Miii]

The thing I wonder is why bathrooms are even divided by sex/gender anyway.

I kind of thought this one would be obvious, but if men and women have the same bathrooms they can... do stuff in them because it's a more private place. It's gross and trashy, but things like that do happen, unfortunately.

Plus guys pee standing up and girls pee sitting down. Yeah guys can just pee in toilets, but they miss sometimes (ew). And yeah, I guess you could just have a unisex bathroom with toilets and urinals, but personally, I would feel so incredibly uncomfortable if I walked into a bathroom while a guy was peeing. I would leave and wait outside until they were done. I'm sure most guys wouldn't want that to be the case, anyway. I much prefer having bathrooms separated by gender.

 

[~Unicorn~]

The thing I wonder is why bathrooms are even divided by sex/gender anyway.

Spoiler: kinda girl stuff in here so I put as spoiler

It would make me very uncomfortable, like what if I was changing my pad and there was a man waiting outside of my stall, or some little boy in the stall right next to me?? And yeah, guys missing the toilet when they pee.... ewwwwww

 

[-Apples-]

I kind of thought this one would be obvious, but if men and women have the same bathrooms they can... do stuff in them because it's a more private place. It's gross and trashy, but things like that do happen, unfortunately.

Plus guys pee standing up and girls pee sitting down. Yeah guys can just pee in toilets, but they miss sometimes (ew). And yeah, I guess you could just have a unisex bathroom with toilets and urinals, but personally, I would feel so incredibly uncomfortable if I walked into a bathroom while a guy was peeing. I would leave and wait outside until they were done. I'm sure most guys wouldn't want that to be the case, anyway. I much prefer having bathrooms separated by gender.

I actually miss a couple a times when I pee. I know you didn't ask me to say that, but it's true, even if I always aim for the toilet. The only time I use a public restroom is when I need to pee really badly.

 

[Bowie]

The answer is to abolish male and female bathrooms and replace them with unisex bathrooms, with individual stalls (with doors) and toilets only.

Cut out the urinal and you'd have no issues with confrontation, and the unisex part would mean your right to be there is unquestionable.

 

[~Unicorn~]

The answer is to abolish male and female bathrooms and replace them with unisex bathrooms, with individual stalls (with doors) and toilets only.

Cut out the urinal and you'd have no issues with confrontation, and the unisex part would mean your right to be there is unquestionable.

I think it's better if there's a separate unisex bathroom and keep the male and female bathrooms, cause there is many people like me who wouldn't want other genders in the same bathroom.

 

[forestyne]

Spoiler: kinda girl stuff in here so I put as spoiler

It would make me very uncomfortable, like what if I was changing my pad and there was a man waiting outside of my stall, or some little boy in the stall right next to me?? And yeah, guys missing the toilet when they pee.... ewwwwww

YOU MAKE A VALID POINT WITH THE PAD THING TBH

 

[Pyoopi]

Spoiler: unisex bathroom blurb

When I traveled to London, one of the places I went to had an unisex bathroom where both men and women entered at the same time. Each stall had a toilet and a sink inside, and no gaps between the stalls but because lack of air flow it was humid and a bit smelly.

Spoiler: gendered bathrooms argument

Also, I kind of want to argue why bathrooms are gendered and should be kept gendered because women can use it as a safe space. A lot of women socialize in the bathroom and sometimes it's not always gossip. I've read stories and heard from friends how they hide in the bathroom from a creeper. It's a place to regroup.

This also can work well with a mtf trans to feel safe in a bathroom. I can't argue much on the other side but I'm sure it can work as much well for a man to avoid creeper girl by using the men's restroom.

And gender neutral restrooms should be implemented as well, I think those are usually one stalls like the family restroom. I've seen them at my airport.

 

[nintendofan85]

I hate bathroom laws with a burning passion, even though my parents love them, especially my mom. I'm not going to lie, men's restrooms simply do not have enough privacy. My mom says that she has a problem with a man being in her restroom-even though the gender identity of these people is not male. God, there's so much to hate about the South...

- - - Post Merge - - -

I think it's better if there's a separate unisex bathroom and keep the male and female bathrooms, cause there is many people like me who wouldn't want other genders in the same bathroom.

That solution is something I'd be comfortable with. I gotta admit, urinals can be convenient (I know it's TMI), but sometimes the men's restrooms are just simply too packed and I can't handle it. A separate unisex restroom would solve not only this debate, but also the long crowds that the gendered restrooms can have.

 

[-Apples-]

This used to not be an issue, but in 2013, it started to pick up public attention, and it only worsened in 2016 when NC passed this stupid bathroom bill. I opposed Obama's executive order he made back in May 2016, but I'm against NC's bathroom law too. I try to stay neutral to the issue (whether they should be forced to use bathrooms of their biological sex or allowed to use bathrooms of their gender identity), but when I take sides, here are my points:

• It was actually the liberals' fault that this became an issue ever since they started it in 2013. Perhaps before 2013, transgender people were still using the bathrooms that didn't correlate to their biological sex and nobody had a problem with it. I believe the SJWs wanted this to become an issue just to continue dividing us apart, but the conservatives were just as bad by doing the opposite extreme in 2016. And now, it really started to soak up attention. in the media.
• I'm in favor of keeping gendered restrooms regardless of what bathrooms transgender people use, but until we are able to spin it off creatively (such as putting toilets into different rooms (with doors) attached to one large room). If that happens, public bathrooms will be open to anyone, regardless of sex or gender.
• I am against mass boycotts to a state over just one law. People boycotted NC specifically over the bathroom law and nothing else. I am boycotting California for many reasons, not just one. Same with Oregon. But I don't think Texas deserves to be boycotted, and people shouldn't lose their jobs because of one law related to social issues.
• On a related note, boycotts against a state is not going to hurt the government. It's going to hurt the businesses and places of entertainment from one state.
• I am opposed to Texas's bathroom law as they should not pass it. The law endangers even cisgendered people.
• I'm also against Target over their bathroom policy. The way they did it allowed even cisgendered men to use the women's restroom for non-emergency reasons.
• I believe the issue should be left up to the businesses and institutions while the media should ignore the issue.

 

[KaydeeKrunk]

I think why people consider these laws so boycott worthy is because access to a bathroom is a basic human right? Like imagine being in a situation where you couldn't use a bathroom. Now you might be like "they can just use their biological bathroom" well not really, if you're a trans man for instance, very visibly a man, maybe even post-op and have all the male "equipment" and you can't use the men's restroom because that's not your biological bathroom, and so you try to go into the women's and the women kick you out for being a creep trying to use their bathroom. See the problem? Goes both ways too, but men would perhaps be a bit too receptive to a feminine person using their restroom, if receptive at all. So that person is forced to hold in everything until they get home or whatever because they don't have access to this thing that they inherently need to survive, ya know, cause everyone needs a bathroom to use. I feel like there need to just be more "open" bathrooms. And honestly the only problem with that is they'd have to make it so peeping wasn't possible, by making fully walled stalls instead of the awkward stalls they have these days. But most businesses don't feel like making that happen, so it's really really crappy.

 

[visibleghost]

i mean when u start regulating people's personal lives like that it's kinda scary..? it's like, well if that's a thing what will be next lol. it's like how many countries have discussed banning hijabs in schools and at workplaces.

limiting people's right to exist in public is a slippery slope and it threathens democracy. i dont think it's weird if people feel scared or uncomfortable with laws like that