Target, let me start by saying that I love you and nothing in this world could ever stop that.
I support Target. I support letting those who already feel different, feel normal. I support those who look and feel like a woman, use the woman's restroom. I support those who look and feel like men use the men's restroom.
You have been sitting in stalls next to transgender people your entire life. There is no ID required to use a bathroom. There is no check-in to see what your genitalia was at birth. That would be absurd. So the harsh reality is, you have been sharing bathrooms with these people all your life, but now that the media is making it a big deal you feel you must also make it a big deal.
Sexual assault is not a scapegoat. Sexual assault can happen anywhere, anytime. It is something that does not typically happen in a restroom. It is actually much more likely to happen by someone the victim knows. Sexual assault is something I am sure Target looked into, but the threat is simply so minuscule that it was not as large of a threat as someone hating themselves because they cannot use a public restroom.
I feel much more safe sharing a restroom with someone who appears as a woman than someone who appears like a man. You may not realize it now, but if Target were to reverse this policy you could be sharing a restroom with someone who looks like a man. That would be much more harmful than minding your own business about what is under someone's pants. Image is honestly everything, because nine times out of 10 you will have no idea the person next to you is transgender.
Forty-one percent of transgender people have reportedly attempted suicide. You all fear for your children and their well-being, and I completely understand that. What if they were transgender? What if your daughter said, "Mommy, I feel like a boy." Then you would do anything in your power to make sure they felt loved and safe in their own body, or at least I hope you would. Suicide rates are much higher because these transgender children cannot pee without you screaming that they are a danger to society. That is sad. The basic use of a bathroom cannot be had without you all throwing a fit.
So I respect Target and I respect the transgender community. When I have children I would want them to use the restroom they would feel the safest in. Also, If I had such a concern for their safety I would accompany them. Please, try to understand that these people are not harmful to you. You are actually much more harmful to them emotionally than they ever would be to you physically.
I stand with Target.
