Dear Mr or Ms. President,

As an avowed supporter of the LGBT+ community I want to talk about the bathroom issue trans-people must face. This a very horrible issue that I would like to talk about. On on an article on www.advocate.com 'Federal Judge Denies Trans Student the Right to Use Male Restroom' which is written around a 16 year old transgender boy named Gavin Grimm who was denied to use the male bathroom at school. In the article it states, "In a ruling by a federal judge on Friday that is a setback for transgender students' civil rights in K-12 schools, a trans high-schooler in Virginia won't be allowed to use the boys bathroom that he'd already been using for months." Another quote from the article states that, "In June, the American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Virginia sued the Gloucester County School Board in federal court, alleging that it violated Grimm’s civil rights by enacting a transphobic restroom policy that forbade Grimm from continuing to use the boy’s bathroom." The fact there are people like Gavin that would like to use a bathroom but can't because of this law.

In a FAQ from www.lambdalegal.org it states,"DON'T UNISEX BATHROOMS LEAVE WOMEN MORE VULNERABLE TO BEING HARASSED OR ATTACKED BY MEN THAN GENDER-SEGREGATED BATHROOMS DO? :This argument is based on a myth: There is no evidence that gender-segregated bathrooms are “safer” for cisgender women than unisex bathrooms. And besides, there are laws protecting people from criminal conduct in public restrooms. If anything, a concern for safety weighs in favor of bathroom accessibility. Transgender people face a uniquely high degree of harassment—53% of 6,450 transgender people reported being harassed or disrespected in a place of public accommodation in a recent survey conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force." And: "ARE INDIVIDUAL OR UNISEX RESTROOMS BETTER FOR TRANSGENDER PEOPLE THAN SEGREGATED BATHROOMS? Transgender people should not be singled out as the only people using any particular restroom. But providing individual and/or unisex restrooms is not a bad idea, because they do provide more options for TGNC people, as well as for people with young children and people with disabilities who need help from someone of a different gender." So, in a way unisex bathrooms would be a lot better.

In an article on money.cnn.com it states, "Target (TGT) CFO Cathy Smith said Wednesday that the company has heard objections to the transgender bathroom policy from some customers, though she said other customers had voiced support. In response, Target has decided to expand its use of a third, single-toilet bathroom at all of its stores, which can be locked by users. That bathroom can be used by any customer who needs some privacy, including parents with small children of a different gender or those who are uncomfortable with a public bathroom in which a transgender person is allowed." In other words because so many people complained about letting trans-people into male/female restrooms they are now going to add a new one next year.

In conclusion the transgender bathroom issue helps no one. It doesn't help the trans-people who are victims, it doesn't help the school administrators, the congress, people who support it and people who don't support it. My solution is to give them a unisex bathroom where both male and female will use the restroom. It will be equal and balanced.

Sincerely,

Sydney M.