Headlines lately have been buzzing about the boycott on Target® for their recent statement of inclusion that they support members of the transgender community to use whichever gendered bathroom facility they identify with. The Target® company can be quoted in a statement they made on April 19th, 2016, when they said:

Inclusivity is a core belief at Target. It’s something we celebrate. We stand for equality and equity, and strive to make our guests and team members feel accepted, respected and welcomed in our stores and workplaces every day.We believe that everyone—every team member, every guest, and every community—deserves to be protected from discrimination, and treated equally. Consistent with this belief, Target supports the federal Equality Act, which provides protections to LGBT individuals, and opposes action that enables discrimination.In our stores, we demonstrate our commitment to an inclusive experience in many ways. Most relevant for the conversations currently underway, we welcome transgender team members and guests to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.We regularly assess issues and consider many factors such as impact to our business, guests and team members. Given the specific questions these legislative proposals raised about how we manage our fitting rooms and restrooms, we felt it was important to state our position.Everyone deserves to feel like they belong. And you’ll always be accepted, respected and welcomed at Target.
( Direct Source)

In response to the corporation's stance on the current social justice issue, protesters have taken to the streets and to social media to voice their dissent.

The rhetoric that protesters are aligning with is that Target's® announcement of solidarity with the LGBTQ community is dangerous to women and children.

The protesting community is pushing a far-fetched image of pervy men in womens' clothing following women and children into bathrooms.

Needless to say, the boycott movement has gained a lot of traction and promotes a popular idea that appeals to most American families: your children are being targeted, your women will be assaulted by men in dresses, and Target® will protect a predator's right to do so in the name of political correctness.

The controversy surrounding gender identity and bathrooms is a tough issue to approach and it seems as if our approach so far is all wrong. Like most difficult issues, Americans have seemed to polarize and gravitate to one side or the other. This can prove to be very frustrating in any discussion of social issues because you cannot make assertions or assess facts without being cataloged by peers and listeners to a polar side of the issue. Far too often do we adopt this mentality and overturn a discussion of "what we know so far" into an "us versus them" topic. This kind of mentality is unproductive, evidenced by our lack of social progress, and hinders any attempt at non-partisan agreements on common facts and knowledge because they often get lost in the blurred lines of "Red versus Blue" and "Left versus Right".

With that being said, let's contribute some new thoughts and perspectives to the conversation.

Perhaps the most imperative point we need to discuss is that transgendered individuals using public bathrooms is not a new concept. Just because Target® has announced their solidarity with the transgender community does not mean that transgendered individuals are just now using the bathrooms they identify with. These protesters promoting images of creepy men following your children into the bathrooms would probably be horrified to learn that they've been sharing bathrooms with transgenders for years now. Why isn't this a thought that commonly crosses our minds? Perhaps it's because we don't go to the bathroom to stare at our neighbors' genitals. We go to the bathroom for one reason: to use the bathroom, to wash our hands, and to leave and carry on with our day. One could be using the restroom and sitting in a stall directly next to a transgendered individual without ever even knowing it; exactly how conduct ought be in the bathroom.

If the idea of sharing a restroom with a transgender makes you uncomfortable, fear not! Target® offers single-stalled restrooms as well as family-restrooms in the majority of their stores.

In addition to this, protesters seem to forget that assault (especially in a bathroom) is considered a heinous crime and is no less punishable (and will not happen any more frequently) because of an announcement made by a corporate brand. Despite how some protesters have downplayed Target's® statement into "men may use whatever bathroom they want without repercussion", it is simply not true. The law will not protect anyone from entering the wrong gendered restroom to commit acts of assault. Sexual predators will not be aided or benefited in any way, despite what protestors claim.

While we're on the topic of assault, it is important that we note that there have been zero recorded instances of a transgendered individual sexually assaulting someone in a bathroom. However, the amount of bathroom violence that transgenders have faced is rather alarming. There are reports of transgendered individuals being raped, beaten, and even killed in bathrooms. It makes you wonder who is really facing danger of assault. Interestingly enough, there have been more cases of United States Congressmen sexually assaulting someone in a bathroom than transgendered individuals (Source).

Would you be able to tell these two individuals that they are in the wrong bathroom?

Even after all this, I understand that many still hold irreconcilable views about members of the transgender community and that is their right to hold. I can not criticize or demean anybody for their personal views, just as I would expect for them to reciprocate the same respect for my views. However, it is worth putting in perspective that one's decision to criticize Target® for their allying with the LGBTQ community should not be limited to Target®. Companies like Apple®, Facebook®, Coca-Cola®, Sony®, Disney®, Kraft®, Starbucks®, and several other big-name companies have all allied with the LGBTQ community by providing trans-inclusive healthcare and anti-discrimination policies that include gender identity that parallel those of Target® (Source). So, is boycotting Target® really sending anyone a message or making a difference?

Realistically, Target's® announcement is changing nothing. Nobody is any more or less safe in a Target® bathroom because of their announcement of solidarity with their transgender customers. Once this viral topic dies down, hashtag boycottarget stops trending, and the story fades into obscurity, we will more than likely stop hearing such uproars about men masquerading as women assaulting people in the women's restroom. Mark these words: there will not be a spike in assaults in women's bathrooms following Target's® announcement or any other alignment with the transgender or LGBTQ community.

Arguably, you should be more frightened of people who don't wash their hands in the bathroom than of the individual in the stall next to yours.