White cis male weighing in, so I know the only acceptable position I can take is to defer the decision to others, but I'll chance it.

It seems pretty obvious to me the people taking the most abuse in and having the most anxiety on the subject are going to be anyone transgendered.

I am however a bit reluctant to rule out the concern that might be held by the female half of the population of using public bathrooms alongside males. I know, most of the proposals are all based on simply allowing transgender people who identify as female to use female restrooms. I don't however think it's fair to straight out reject concerns from females that male predators, or more probably 'mere' perverts, can pretty easily 'fake it' and walk right in.

The argument of just get over yourself or you phobias also cuts both ways. Anyone insisting this is a world altering vital battleground over freedom and privacy is maybe taking things too far.

What norm? The norm is now that transgender people already go to the freaking bathroom. Do these people think that transgender people haven't been going to the bathroom? They just wanna pee for gods sake.

That's only partially true. Under a certain age, about 8 or so years old, male children will invariably go to the female bathroom with their mothers, or male bathroom with their fathers. Going to the female bathroom with their mother reduces the exposure to male pedophiles (and they represent most pedophiles).

Whether or not it reduces risk of harm is doubtful since they are accompanied by a parent anyway.

If someone can confidently show with a study showing that allowing cross bathroom use won't increase anyone's risk from sexual predators (and I'm not referring to transgender or transsexual people) then that should shut down the issue pretty quick.

In defense of transgender and transsexual people you attack priests. Lol.

I keep hearing from people that the thing they fear is not transgender people, but males who can go into female bathrooms unchallenged in a society where anyone can use any bathroom. Unchallenged because people will have to assume that they must identify as the opposite gender - even if they don't.

There's a big point being missed by people. Transgender people already use bathrooms alongside children. Paedophiles already use bathrooms alongside children. Even if one accepts the above as a problem, what does playing musical bathrooms accomplish? We swap sons at risk for daughters at risk, and vice versa? It's nonsense.

its about spreading hate and fear about people who have done nothing to deserve it. Hinting that transgender people will abuse your child. Your child is more likely to be abused by a priest,than any random transgender person. Its about ignorance. The most likely person to abuse your child, IS YOU .

Well, to be fair, it's been scientifically proven that gays and transgenders have cooties.

TAG! No erasies.

Your video, Redneck on Transgender Bathrooms, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

What I can't fathom about the laws is two fold,
1) They claim they are intended to stop pedophiles from masquerading as transgender to abuse children, with no evidence at all that this has EVER happened. (well, none until this idiot made this video)

2) What I also don't get is, it's clear that these laws are 'popular' based on the idea that 'men will be alone in women's rooms with little girls, we need to stop that'. But the law actually REQUIRES it. If a woman has changed, or is changing into a man, they require that man to use the woman's room now...and vice versa. It seems they have, in their hatred, caused the problem they fear.

Nope. Right with you. I lasted 90 seconds.

He is lying about his transgender friend and his doctor. He doesn't have a transgender friend. And his doctor is not educated in the complexities of human sexuality. Or he is lying about talking to his doctor.

What we really need are group uni-sex bathrooms. They have them in Europe and in California.

Americans are such prudes.

I don't think it's supposed to be taken in a general way and applied to "gay" people, but rather telling the story that isn't very often heard about those people who don't identify as either gay or straight, or who fall into the bisexual, asexual or questioning (gay/bi/trans curious) categories of the LGBT[QIA].

The truth is, we want to believe SO BADLY as a society that we are either gay or straight. And then we want to label ourselves to find community and identity SO BADLY, that some people get caught in the middle of two (or more!) different worlds, and that neither normative communities quite describe their sexuality. Hence the final comparison with the romantic comedy Sliding Doors. Also, that's why these crazy parties exist in the first place. (You're NOT invited.)

Let's see, there's:

L is for Lesbian, which is women's special gay letter. Technically you could just call LGBT, GBT, as some women identify as gay but not lesbian, or vice versa, or both. But women are special because of feminism, so they get L and G but men only get G.

Don't get on my ass because I speak the truth. I attend plenty enough GBT events to know the fluctuating social stigmas within the group, as well as the bitter rivalries between different letters of the acronym (or those who want to lengthen or shorten the representative letters). It's confusing to people who have this misconception that all stories of gay or lesbian people apply to all gay or lesbian people. It's so diverse, what's even the point of labels any more?

Anyway, moving on.

G is for Gay, which is women or men, but in common usage was (or is, depending on your perspective) for men. Yet as time goes on and the information age fills in our social gaps, women have begun to identify as gay. In fact, I have a genderfluid friend who was born female, but often identifies as a gay male, and has even been accepted into the ranks of the the Gay Men's Chorus. Take that label obsessed society!!

B is for Bisexual, which is a broad category that I'd say more aptly covers this situation, but even more so I think the Q (Questioning) with a little or a lot of A (Asexual) of the greater acronym LGBTQ or LGBTQIA is an even better term for these two star crossed lovers.

T is for Transgender, which is another broad category but with very specific splinter factions of crossdressers, transexuals, transvestites, genderfluid, etc. etc. Some of these terms, depending on the context are either outdated, have new or older and more specific defining characteristics, or even more often, people define themselves as the umbrella term itself, transgender, because the feelings of one or the other specifics oscillates and changes as transgender people (male and female) age. I know trans people of all ages and wow, the perspectives are vast, and are rarely consistent throughout the years. (You just DON'T know how you'll identify at the age of 65+.)

Q is for Questioning, which is for people who just don't know what they are. This one is really an open ended letter and often isn't included because it represents an ignorance of the self. Maybe you figure out your sexuality or gender specifics right away or maybe it takes you years of experimentation to find your niche. Or maybe you transcend the boundaries forever, always changing and never staying the same throughout the years. The main thing here is that you don't know. Maybe you have a gay romance and then you're like, "Damn, I'm definitely straight" and now you're not even part of LGBT. Q is like the gateway letter. lol

I is for Intersex, which is for people who have genitalia or other gender defining anatomy which is different, not entirely present, is equally both, or more of one than the other. Look it up, because I'm the least familiar with this one, though I do have friends who are intersex. I just haven't asked them enough specifics out of respect. Also, recent research into genetics has shown that you could have a portion of your body that isn't gender defining, but which is made up of the opposite sex's genetic code. I've heard of people who have had their toe or their heart identified as male, but the rest of their body is female. Some people will never even know they're intersex, and depending on what part of their body is intersex, may not experience any feelings other than their body's dominant sex. (I don't have a scientific link, but it was part of a topic that I attended at PRIDE.

A is for Asexual, which is for people who don't have sexual feelings, or who don't act on sexual feelings for any number of reasons intellectual, physical, or both. I don't know how broad this category is but I myself go through periods (sometimes years) of asexuality. A defining characteristic for some people who have misidentified as gay or bi. For example, my parents thought I was gay and I had friends who would openly call me gay, despite me not showing ANY sexual emotions towards either sex. Though I did have both guys and girls who would hit on me or have sex (oral or otherwise) with me on the down low, despite my half interest in both! People are curious and when you can't figure out someone's sexual identity, some people will lay it on so thick, it could be seen as sexual harassment. I knew several girls that just wanted to have sex with me so bad to figure out if I was gay or straight. I just didn't care about either sexes at the time, though I was pleasantly stimulated to varied effects.

I think this is the story that isn't told. If you're asexual or going through an asexual period, that doesn't make you gay!

There could be more movies or shorts out there telling this story, but this is the first honest look into the Q and A of LGBT that I've ever seen. Shit, and I thought when I published my book I'd be the first. Damn. heh

The % is from his words 700,000 transgender. USA has approx 320 million.

http://www.census.gov/popclock/
your 147million comes out to near .02% still insignificant.

The only time .02% matters is when you are one of the .02%. So no- you don't matter in the real scheme of things. There are bigger problems in the world than seeking a seat at the table of equal rights.

And the next insignificant minority to be placed on the liberal mantel of change--- Transgender Rights. Because the 0.0021% matter.