Hersheypark says transgender people free to use restrooms that correspond to gender identity

"You've already shared a restroom with a transgendered person. You were fine."

That's probably very true, although I've never really looked. When I'm standing next to someone at a urinal, I'm more concerned about getting "stage fright," not being able to pee...

Does anyone remember the show Ally McBeal? Where her law firm had a single gender neutral restroom? I don't recall any outrage about that, and that show ended 14 years ago. And The Biscuit preferred a fresh bowl.

There are maybe one or two instances in which I might not feel "comfortable" if someone walked up to the urinal next to me to use it. In that instance it's up to me to either move to a stall, or ignore it and do my business and get on with life. When I'm in a stall I couldn't care less who is in the stall next to me, I can't see them! Easy solution for urinals (that I've seen a few places), ceiling to floor urinal dividers. In general I couldn't care less who walks into the bathroom, though. One restroom to rule them all works for me.

Transgender peoples are being used for political gain. Don't believe the crap coming from those right wing idiots. Transgender people have been around for a long time, and like everyone else, they just want to pee. You should be more afraid of the straight male who'll confront your wife or kid because they may not fit his idea of a Cis gender female.

http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/04/30/3774237/man-stops-woman-fr...-bathroom/

I don't want to live somewhere where THESE kinds of things start becoming normal:

(Note: Graphic Language)

http://jezebel.com/police-refuse-to-believe-lesbian-is-a-woman-forc...1773733431

Who is being kept safe here?

The most overwhelming thing that jumps out around this issue is just how much ignorance exists around transgender, human sexuality in general, and the human anatomy. People are utterly clueless about the simple fact that the development of one's sexuality and gender are separate, and anything but simple.

My wife is currently educating me on Ally McBeal, and we just recently came across this. :)

slithernoggin said:

sirloindude said:

I think the hang-up is that anybody can use whatever bathroom they want and claim they identify with that gender, and who is anyone to tell them otherwise?

You aren't transgender because you decide to say you are transgender. You don't walk into a court and ask the judge to change the gender on your driver's license from male to female because you woke up last Tuesday and decided to be a woman.

And to be blunt, I'd rather not be in a public restroom with you. You have a problem with imaginary self-declared transgender folk? I have a problem with people in the restroom thinking so much about what my privates look like.

I think you're misunderstanding me and assuming I'm somehow outraged one way or the other.

Brother, if I'm in the bathroom and you're in the stall next to me, what do I care what your genitalia look like? I don't fancy myself spending time in a restroom as the gender police. I'm there to take care of business and that's it.

Okay, and maybe check my e-mail if I'm going to be in there for a bit. ;)

The point I was trying to make, and please correct me if I'm wrong as I'm a bit naive in this area, is that anybody can say they self-identify with any gender, and who is anybody else to say they don't identify with said gender? I know that people don't just wake up on a Tuesday and decide that they want to change their gender. I am saying, though, that it seems like someone with nefarious intent, who will arguably commit whatever crime he or she is going to commit regardless of any laws, has his or her ill intentions facilitated by policies like these.

Personally, I'm of the mindset that has been mentioned several times that we've all probably been in a public restroom with a transgender person before, and it wasn't a problem then because we aren't being creepers and inspecting everyone to verify that they have the right equipment, as it were. Even as a guy standing at a urinal, I'm not looking to my left or to my right to check and make sure we've all got the same plumbing.

Maybe I've completely missed the point somewhere, but I just feel like implementing policies allowing people to use whatever restroom they self-identify with doesn't really afford any new privileges to transgender people, because I'd imagine they'd always used the bathroom that belongs to the gender with whom they self-identified. I guess I just don't see any major benefit that didn't already exist, but again, chalk it up to my naïveté if I missed something.

CreditWh0re said:

which is all BS when we know that this is just the newest version of the Republicans using some minority as a way to whip up the rubes into voting in an an election year.

This is a Republican issue? They're responsible for opening this discussion? HB2 in North Carolina is in response to the Obama administration's actions am I not mistaken? Wouldn't that make this the agenda of Democrats and liberals?

Tekwardo said:

This is the new mantra of the butt hurt (I'm so not referring to Vater here, only Eric). I'm not discounting his concerns, and I'm not trying to take his voice away. He is in no way a victim of anything other than my opposing position. Quite frankly, I highly respect what I know of him, have for years, have no issues with him, and respect that his opinion is different. I encourage him to continue in this conversation, as he usually does. In fact, most of the time, my views align with his. Thats a great thing about Coasterbuzz, it's not URC (LOL, is that even still a thing? Yes? Oh. Do I need to add a few >>>'s to my post so that you understand?) Coasterbuzz has topics and conversations like this all of the time that are done in a respectable manner. I figure that's why you rarely post here, you don't get it.

You're contradicting yourself in your statement. You respect me, but then you insult me. You claim you want to hear what I have to say, but your response suggests otherwise and possibly because you think my opinion differs from you.

If you read what I wrote then you'll see that I did not state my position on this issue. I merely said I understand the concerns of both sides. I didn't take a side, so you're not ignoring my voice, nor hearing any concerns from me.

If you want to have a respectful, meaningful conversation, then I'd prefer your stick with the topic. My site has no relevance in this discussion and the mention of it is not appreciated. My participation here, when time permits, is out of support for Jeff and my enjoyment of Coasterbuzz. It has nothing to do with anything else I'm involved with.

Tekwardo said:

You're so full of crap some times that I wonder if you can get the taste out of your mouth when you brush your teeth in the mornings.

You think you're the only person with experience with Transgender people? Since you have such a hard time comprehending what I said, let me repeat what someone else said so that maybe you can understand that.

I'm glad you have experience with Trans people, though. Kudos. You deserve a cookie for standing up for their 'rights' to identify without being reminded of how they were born.

The taste in my mouth may be crap, but I wouldn't know any different.

Nothing I said would suggest or infer that I feel as if I stand alone as the only person whose interacted with someone who is transgender. My statement was merely based on experience and from what I've learned. I guess you don't like being called out for a possible error on your part.

Thanks for the further explanation and the cookie.

I'm not here to war over this issue.

Thanks to <i>sws</i> for reiterating how I feel. What percentage of the population is transgender? How is this such a pressing issue that it deserves all this attention when homosexuals are still being executed in some countries?

Reread what I said and pay attention since you never seem to take the time to actually do that. I never ever said I respect you, I said I respect Vater. I don't give a $&@/ about you, your opinion, or what you have to say. I was saying you were repeating the mantra of the butthurt. The entire rest of that after the parenthesis was to Vater, NOT you.

I'll mention URC as I see fit. Thank you very much.

HB2 in North Carolina is in response to the Obama administration's actions am I not mistaken?

You're very mistaken. HB2 is in response to the city of Charlotte passing an ordinance that trans people can go to whatever bathroom they want. Has nothing to do with the Obama admin, who decided to legally respond only after the law went into affect.

And I made no error. Again, read what myself and another person wrote. I made a calculated comment and MEANT to refer to the people in those photos the way I did. What are you not understanding? That was to prove a point about the law. Do you just skim every post and then respond to certain words?

Tek, in Eric's defense, the phrasing reads like you're referring to him, not Vater.

Thoughts that come to my mind on this whole thing:

1) Khalahari and quite a few handful of water parks that I have been to, have VERY clear signs that state on the ladies and men's room "Please do you not bring your boy into the ladies room if he is over the age of 4" And of course girl for the men's room.

2) There wouldn't be a problem with this whole thing if stalls (or changing rooms) just get redesigned. I for the life of me NEVER understood who came up with the bathroom stall idea. It's sooooo freakn' outdated. IMO people just want to feel secure while doing their business. Even if it's all ladies in the restroom or all men. Many people of all walks just feel vulnerable. I would think a company would save a ton of money if they just had the stalls go all the way down to the floor and fix the door issues so a person doesn't feel like they are being watched or capable of being watched. 10000s of small buisness have 1 restroom my house has 1 bathroom. You go in your lock the door. No different if one could create a stall the same way (consider it a room in a room if one must) I just feel that that as long as the person feels "secure going" this wouldn't be a problem....And don't get me started on Kings Island, or Cedar Point's "changing rooms" where the curtains don't even fully close (is it really that hard to by 1 more foot of fabric for your curtain so you can have it go all the way across the opening ;-) )

3) I hate that this has become a "Hotbutton" for everyone. Why did Hershey park have to make a statement on it? Just let the World continue as it has been and doing their thing. This was stupid of them to make a comment on it. They could have just done their thing like the beginning of time...Walmart (like them or hate them) has refused to get drug into this lately...and look at their stock compared to Target.

Ok. done with my two cents..I'm leaving now to go make money designing bathrooms for the new world :-)

sirloindude said:
Tek, in Eric's defense, the phrasing reads like you're referring to him, not Vater.

I was thinking that in the context, me talking to Eric, that by referring to another "him" he would realize. Regardless, I think the second post cleared it.

I don't really have much else to add...but I do wonder if I'm the only one who found the slew of grade school insults hurled at Eric by Tek came from way out in left field.

Everything in his initial post came from somewhere far beyond left field so it seemed appropriate. Especially "scolding" me for referring to two out and open trans people as their birth gender, which was what the entire point was. YMMV.

Tekwardo said:

Reread what I said and pay attention since you never seem to take the time to actually do that. I'll mention URC as I see fit. Thank you very much.

"I'm so not referring to Vater here, only Eric"

It seems you have a problem with how you communicate Tekwardo. After you write that it would seem that your comments that followed that line in the same paragraph were all directed at me! And clearly they were since you made some cheap, childish, off-topic remark about something I'm involved with that has no relevance to this conversation.

Why some people must resort to these tactics when discussing sensitive topics is something I really dislike.

We could really do without all of the ad hominem nonsense, by everyone. Thanks.

egieszl said:

This is a Republican issue? They're responsible for opening this discussion? HB2 in North Carolina is in response to the Obama administration's actions am I not mistaken? Wouldn't that make this the agenda of Democrats and liberals?

No, HB 2 had nothing to do with Obama. It was a response to Charlotte implementing a non-discrimination policy. HB2 removed local anti-discrimination bans, and also prevented local ordinances enacting a $15 minimum wage. It was 100% a Republican attempt at ginning up votes.

It had nothing to do with Obama.

sirloindude said:

Maybe I've completely missed the point somewhere, but I just feel like implementing policies allowing people to use whatever restroom they self-identify with doesn't really afford any new privileges to transgender people, because I'd imagine they'd always used the bathroom that belongs to the gender with whom they self-identified. I guess I just don't see any major benefit that didn't already exist, but again, chalk it up to my naïveté if I missed something.

Imagine a school. In this school there is a boy named Mike. Mike's parents are wonderful human beings, and don't disown him or send him to an exorcist like one of my client's parents did (yes, really) when they realize and accept that there son is indeed transgender. They allow him to make his transition to becoming Michelle, and support him along the way.

Michelle goes to the same school, and everyone knows she used to be called Mike. Everyone is supportive of Michelle except for a group of bigoted parents who get word that Michelle, god-forbid, wants to be using the girls' restroom as she should be able to.

Phone calls are made and school-board meetings become shouting matches.

I would argue that in a case like this, a policy allowing Michelle to use the girls' restroom warranted.

You're right in that for someone who is fully transitioned and completely blends in with others of his/her identified gender, this probably isn't an issue at all. But for many the lines aren't so clear from the outside to others, and we have a lot of ignorant, bigoted individuals in this country.

sirloindude said:

... is that anybody can say they self-identify with any gender, and who is anybody else to say they don't identify with said gender?

You're getting tripped up, I think, by the notion that people can "self-identify" with any gender and they then enjoy any legal protections available.

Sure, anyone can self-identify in any way they wish. I can self-identify as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, but that doesn't mean I can walk into Buckingham Palace and start issuing proclamations.

If you're transitioning and want your drivers license to reflect your new gender, you have to prove to the relevant authorities that you are, in fact, transitioning. That you've been assessed by the relevant experts and medical professionals as transgender. That you are pursuing or have pursued the appropriate treatments, procedures, surgeries etc for you. And so on.

I just don't think a sexual predator is going to devote years pursuing seeking to be transgender so that they can walk into the opposite sex bathroom. They'll just go walk into the opposite sex bathroom.

We have laws regarding sexual predators. We don't need laws "protecting" anyone from a group of people who have never done anything to others in a public restroom.