When You Gotta Go . . .

English: Restroom signs at Wikimania 2011 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From Christine Jorgenson to Caitlyn Jenner and everyone in-between, people who were born one way but who now live another have faced many dilemmas in their struggle for social acceptance.  One of them is having to decide which public restroom to use--male or female--when the urge comes.

Now, just like gays and lesbians who fought for and won the right to marry people of their own sex, it's the transgenders' turn to fight for the right to use whatever bathroom they want.  What makes it an issue is that states like North Carolina, Mississippi and Minnesota have either passed, or are considering, so-called "religious freedom" laws that restrict use of the restrooms in schools and government buildings to the anatomy people were born with, among other things.

The backlash has been notable, to say the least.  Rock musicians and entertainers such as Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and Tracy Morgan have canceled their appearances in North Carolina and Mississippi.  Companies such as Pay Pal are taking their business elsewhere.  Governors such as Minnesota's Mark Dayton have decreed that their state's employees must not travel to the Tar Heel state.  And pro basketball legend Charles Barkley, among others, called on the NBA to move its 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte.

There are some companies that have decided to go gender-neutral in its facilities.  Target, for one, has decided to open up its stores' bathrooms and fitting rooms to its employees and guests (as they like to refer to their customers) with gender preferences.

On the other hand, besides lingering resentment over people with not-so-Christian lifestyles getting preferred treatment in the court of public opinion thanks to positive portrayals in Hollywood and the news media, the ones who want to put the brakes on LGBT's momentum do have one point.  It's the fear of potential sex offenders who might use the new liberalism of public bathrooms to, shall we say, gain access to women and children--which, it should be noted, there's not enough evidence to support that claim.  Not to mention the general uneasiness of having to pee next to a transgender in the first place.

There are worse things than wondering who's standing next to you in the stall, and what that person might do to you.  For one, there's the bathrooms themselves.  No matter how much workers are paid to clean them, you can still see (and smell) plenty of gross stuff that makes you want to "hold it" until you get home.  Do you really want to plant your naked butt on a seat that might have been used by several other people, unless you absolutely have to?

Short of declaring every public restroom to be turned into unisex bathrooms, maybe we should admit that the tide of social change no longer favors those who think men are men and women are women, and never the twain shall meet.  Who knows?  We might all be better off for it.

Just try not to stare at the other person, and watch where you put your feet.