South Carolina: It's Not The Heat It's The Stupidity: Lee Bright Proposes Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill

Well, it looks like it’s South Carolina’s turn …

Senator Lee Bright — how’s that for an oxymoron … South Carolina Senator Bright — has introduced a bill just like that hate-filled one up in North Carolina law that prevents local governments from passing laws expanding the use of gender-designated public restrooms to transgender people … because fear.

Bright is saying his constituents asked him to do this:

“There’s a segment of the population that believes that you ought to be able to use whatever restroom you identify yourself as being. So they think it’s OK for a man to use a woman’s bathroom if he thinks he’s a woman. From a safety issue, we don’t need men going in women’s bathrooms.”

Keep calm, Bob; save the f-bombs.

First up, Senator Bright, these are not men using a women’s bathroom; these are trans women using the bathroom that matches their gender identity so get it straight. Secondly, there has not been one single instance of anyone being harmed by having a trans women in the bathroom because, and let’s see if this sticks, trans women use the bathroom because they want to pee.

If a man dresses up in women’s clothing, calls himself a woman, goes into a woman’s bathroom and ogles her, or gropes her, or goddess forbid, sexually assaults her, then he is a straight male criminal, not a trans woman.

But Senator Bright says he wants to protect the schools and this bill, like every single one of these hateful, discriminatory bills, would direct South Carolina’s public schools, public universities and government agencies to require bathrooms or locker rooms be designated for use only by people based on their biological sex. He does say that government entities could provide single-stall bathrooms for either gender, but multi-stall restrooms would remain exclusive for the gender matching the person’s birth certificate; private businesses can adopt their own bathroom policies.

Now, on a slightly more positive note, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said, of this proposed bill:

“In South Carolina we are blessed because we don’t have to mandate respect or kindness or responsibility in this state. I don’t know of any example that we’ve had a problem of. South Carolina is going to continue to focus on ethics and roads and jobs because we think we have that part covered.”

Lovely sentiment, governor, but I need you to say the words: we will not legislate hate in South Carolina. You stood fast against marriage equality, so I’m not so sure I believe in your bran of “respect” or “kindness,” thankyouverymuch.

I do agree with one of Senator Bright’s most vocal colleagues, a Democratic state Senator, Joel Lourie, who has come against the bill:

“The world has watched what happened in North Carolina and the severe economic implications that can follow. I can see no logical reason why we would entertain such a ridiculous measure. We don’t need to join in this national conversation that can result in serious economic problems for this state.”

Good enough, but more so than the economic impact of such legislation, let’s ask ourselves if South Carolina wants to go back to the days of segregation? We’ve traveled that road before, why try again? Why spread hate and fear?

Bright’s bill has already received support from two more Republican Senators, Kevin Bryant and Larry Martin, who said he doesn’t want his granddaughter sharing a bathroom with a person who is “confused” over their gender or “cross-dressers”:

“I don’t want to belittle folks. But I do understand the concerns that you don’t want to put young people in that type of environment where a man dressed as a woman can go into a women’s bathroom.”

He doesn’t want to belittle folks, like trans women, but then goes ahead and suggests they might be child molesters or confused or cross dressers.

Get an education, asshat; learn what trans means; stop this nonsense. And if nothing else enters your tiny brains today, think on this:

You may have very well already used a bathroom with a transgender person and you didn’t know it.

Post and Courier