Newspaper Page Text
OPINION
April 7 - 13, 2016 » Page 7A
Junk in the trunk
North Carolina has
recently passed legislation
that will require transgender
people to use restrooms
assigned to the sex on
their birth certificate. This
legislation is discrimination
at its core. It is also an
extremely odd use of
lawmakers’ time and
energies.
Transgendered
individuals have made
a conscious decision
to physically alter their
genetalia in most cases
because of identity issues.
Once the process has
begun or is completed,
based on what most would
consider to be outwardly
obvious indications of one’s
sexual identity, the person is
classified as the gender that
they chose.
I don’t particularly care
to share the bathroom
space with anyone but we
are forced to do this on a
daily basis if we use public
bathroom facilities. I recall
johnh@dekalbchamp.com
Chief Operating Officer
as a young child attending
a college football game in a
crowded stadium and using
the men’s room. The urinal
trough was a huge circular
steel contraption that the
men just gathered around
to do their business. I think
I may have actually been
permanently traumatized
by this. It was a disgusting
situation that I hope to
never experience again.
To this day, if I am using
a public bathroom facility
and the only option is to
stand beside another man
at a urinal, I will hold off until
a stall becomes available.
It doesn’t matter if there is
a partition separating the
urinals; I don’t want to be
that close to anyone while
doing my business.
Bathrooms to me
represent a private place,
a place where I do my
business and others do their
business. I’m not in there
to examine anyone else’s
junk nor do I want anyone
examining mine.
I’m about as liberal as
one can possibly be, but I
would not be comfortable
if I were using the men’s
room and Caitlyn (formerly
Bruce) Jenner came in to
hike her dress and belly-up
to the urinal. I’m sorry, but
that would be too much for
me.
It’s probably a safe
assumption that most
women also would not
like to see Chaz (formerly
Chastity) Bono swagger
into the ladies room to do
his business. It would be a
bit uncomfortable for all.
For a state to enact
laws governing the use of
public restrooms is beyond
bizarre. As I ponder the
sanity of this legislative
action, I have to also
question the enforcement of
such legislation.
Will North Carolina
now hire government
workers to police public
bathroom facilities? Will
said government employees
stop each person entering a
public facility and proclaim
“Show me your junk before
using the trunk?” That
may actually become one
of the most sought-after
government jobs in history;
though the employee
should also be required
to show their junk during
the interview process in an
effort to curtail perverts who
enjoy seeing other’s private
parts on display in public.
Georgia has the so-
called religious freedom
legislation and open carry
laws that would allow guns
on college campuses that
have been the subject of
many contentious debates.
If Georgia lawmakers
and North Carolina
lawmakers got together,
they could perhaps draft
legislation that would
address all three of these
pressing social issues.
Possible wording of the
legislation could be along
the lines of “Transgendered
individuals on college
campuses will be allowed
to carry a weapon (1) if it
is concealed among one’s
junk, (2) it does not cause
said individual to appear
to be of a different gender,
and (3) does not infringe
upon another’s religious
freedoms while doing so.”
It seems that there are
much greater problems that
should be addressed by
elected officials.
= ONE MAN'S OPINION =
Deal chooses the right path,and the long view
“...I have examined the
protections this bill seeks
to provide to religious
organizations and people
of faith. I can find no
examples that any of the
things this bill seeks to
protect us against have
ever occurred in Georgia.
It is also apparent that the
cases being cited from
other states occurred
because those states
had passed statutes that
specifically protected their
citizens from adverse
actions based on their
sexual orientation. Georgia
has no such statutes, ” said
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal
in his statement and press
conference prior to vetoing
House Bill 757, commonly
referred to as the Georgia
Religious Freedom Act on
Monday, March 28.
Earlier during this
legislative session,
Georgia’s State House
passed the Pastor
Protection Act, which would
have provided any member
of the clergy with the ability
to decline performing any
religious or ecumenical
service in direct conflict with
their faith. Gov. Deal also
previously indicated that he
would have signed this bill
bill.csicrane@gmail.com
Columnist
into law. There were instead
a multitude of other bills,
as well as the 11th hour
compromise that became
HB 757.
Since our U.S. Supreme
Court upheld same sex
marriage last summer in
Obergefell v. Hodges, in
some respects forcing
forward a pendulum already
swinging in that direction,
faith-focused voters and
organizations have been
working hard, with some
justification, to protect their
right to dissent, or at least to
not partake in an institution
or marriages which their
faith either opposes or does
not recognize.
During my own seven-
year marriage, one of
the handful of things we
did really right was we
eloped. Our daughter is
planning her own nuptials
later this spring, and I’m
witnessing at a distance
the joys and pitfalls of the
wedding industry. Her day
and their day will be filled
with love, family and friends,
but I also cannot imagine
a florist, baker, pastor or
printer simply telling her,
“No, I’m sorry, but we don’t
believe in that.”
That said, there
are plenty of bakers,
photographers and even
candlestick makers in
the sea. If that were to
occur, we would just move
down the line to the next
recommended entry or
professional. No sense in
forcing a baker to make a
cake that they can easily do
a lousy job on if forced to
comply.
But Gov. Deal is also
old enough to remember a
Georgia where a diner could
decline all counter seats
based on the color of the
customer’s skin, or when
same-sex couples were so
afraid for their livelihood
and societal acceptance
that they lived practically
their entire lives in the
shadows or the closet.
Today’s Georgia is much
better, more diversified and
more welcoming than that.
Deal has often led
quietly, convening the
powers that be, key players
and stakeholders, seeking
input and then forming a
plan, legislation or reform
package. He did this to save
the challenged finances
of the HOPE scholarship
and Georgia Pre-K, again
later, in three phases to
restructure Georgia’s
criminal justice system and
is still in the midst of the
long-term restructuring of
the formula which funds
public education (Q.B.E.).
Georgia’s business
community leadership was
of largely one voice on this
issue. Signing a bill into law
that either allowed for state-
sponsored discrimination
or created the perception
of same could do lasting
and significant damage to
Georgia’s economy and
future job growth. Many of
these same corporations
now being touted as evil
were beloved, wooed and
toasted for announcing their
relocation or expansions
here. Where does that
hospitality go when we
recognize that many of
those relocating from New
Jersey, California or other
areas of America may bring
their same-sex partners
or even more progressive
political views with them?
“Our people work side
by side without regard to
the color of our skin or the
religion we adhere to. We
are working to make life
better for our families and
our communities. That is
the character of Georgia. I
intend to do my part to keep
it that way,” concluding his
remarks, Deal said.
I, for one, am proud of
you, Governor. Anyone
can lead a parade; it is the
tough calls which separate
the men from the boys.
Bill Crane also serves
as a political analyst and
commentator for Channel
2’s Action News, WSB-
AM News/Talk 750 and
now 95.5 FM, as well
as a columnist for The
Champion, Champion
Free Press and Georgia
Trend. Crane is a DeKalb
native and business owner,
living in Scottdale. You can
reach him or comment on
a column at bill.csicrane@
gmail.com.