I just want to start off saying that I usually try and stay
out of these conversations, because most of the time, they really don’t affect
me. I honestly didn’t feel like the
bathroom issue was a big deal, because I didn’t feel like anything would change
that much. I’m sure the transgender community has either been using the
bathroom that affiliates with them or the family restroom for a while, so what
is really changing? So I never really put any thought or concern to the issue.
I just kept on going on. I still shopped at target, and up until yesterday,
planned on continuing to use their facilities.
To the 19 year old boy who thought it was hilarious to use
the women’s restroom at target just because you could:
Did you know, that the first response as I walked in to the
bathroom with my three month old son and saw that you were the only other person
in the restroom, was fear? Yes. Fear.
Because there was something in my environment that was not supposed to be
there. My natural instinct when I see a
man in the women’s bathroom is fear.
Sure after I thought about it, I figured that if he were to try anything
I could easily just scream. But I
experienced fear. And I shouldn’t have.
The second response I felt was embarrassment. You were in a very private area. And I was embarrassed
to see you there. It is an area that I don’t even let my husband into, because
it’s gross. But you were there. You who thought it would be funny to use the
target women’s restroom because you simply could. And as you cracked a smile at me and left, I
shuddered. You laughed, and I
shuddered. I shuddered because I had a
million different scenarios running through my head as I wheel my three month
old by you.
No nothing happened.
But I have never felt so uncomfortable before, and I never want to
experience that again. I came home and
told my husband that I never wanted to use a public facility again. Because I walked into a situation where
nothing happened, but what if that isn’t the case the next time. In the mall, the bathroom is down an extremely
long corridor. I can guarantee you that
I will never use that restroom (just as a disclaimer, I live in Washington, and
they passed a bill which basically makes everyone allow men to use the women’s
restrooms everywhere.)
Yes I am a Christian. No I may not agree with the
transgender issue, but they are still people and deserve the same basic
comforts as the rest of us. But when we allow our policies to be as vague as
target (and the state of Washington) has, allowing ANYONE to use the women’s
restroom, you make about half of the population be put into situations that
could make them feel the way I did.
Because you will always have people who misuse this policy; as a
joke or as an opportunity to do harm.
I am not ok with that.
