I will address the sexuality part of this momentarily, but even more important is the usurpation of power – the federal government can suddenly impose a new rule without hearings, testimony, etc. That is called ruling by fiat: let it be! The emperors did that. They stood on the front porch of the palace and let fly with new decrees, ending with: “Fiat! Let it be so.” Then they went back into the palace and that was that.
I think the president has just done that. I don’t remember from my Problems of Democracy class where the president gets to govern by executive order. I was reminded this morning by my cousin Rick that powers not specifically given to the federal government in our Constitution are reserved to the states, and the federal government can’t presume to control the states. Oh yes, that War Powers Act thing.
The gender identity thing has annoyed me from the start. First, it confuses gay folks’ civil rights issues with some folks’ personal identity issues. I lived through the era when you could get your house burned down for being openly gay. I once had “queers” written in 2-foot letters in red paint on my gold house on the Biscay Road. I finally got so I could go back to sleep after hearing an anti-gay slur yelled out in the dark around 2 a.m.!
It has taken a long time for Americans to get used to the idea that we aren’t all built alike and variances of all sorts are perfectly acceptable. This has been an uphill battle with some churches, particularly the fundamentalists, who apparently think that human destiny is confined to having babies, and sex for any other reason must, therefore, be evil.
The point is that this rule has been imposed upon us. I was a specialized foster parent trained in childhood sexual trauma. I have lots of questions that I wonder if anyone thought to ask. If a boy goes into a girls bathroom and ends up assaulting a girl, who is responsible and liable? The boy? The principal? The school board? After all, they did accede to the command from on high: make it possible for boys and girls to use the same restrooms. What if a child is a voyeur and pretending? Who gets to decide the validity of the child’s “identity?” The teacher? The parent? A family psychologist?
I asked an older parishioner Sunday at Liturgy what he thought of the new rule? His response? Who cares? They’ve been doing it for years already.
I asked Robin, who has three daughters. He allowed he would not be happy with boys walking into the girls bathroom with his daughters in there, though he did say that he felt sorry for the poor boy who touched his girls, as he has taught them both wrestling and boxing.
On the other hand, a pee is a pee. It is a human necessity. It isn’t particularly sexy. In Paris, France, they have public pissoires where you stand against the wall and … urinate. Just turn your back on the crowd walking by. Been there, done it. Cultural prejudice is learned early (so is tolerance).
This rule could be stretched to cover other situations: women get cheaper insurance rates than men do. Try going into your insurance office and claiming to be mentally a woman. We still have selective service laws in place. Get my point?
This morning I learn that Texas has already sworn to forgo federal education dollars rather than comply. This has triggered a wicked snarl of irrelevant observations. It is being taken by some as a backhanded slam at gay people. Some members of the gay community have stated they hope the governor gets cancer and dies. Another said: I hope he has a heart attack.
If I were a school administrator though, I would be printing up cards right now to send home: liability releases, medical info requests, and so forth. Time for folks to back up their school boards and our schools with common-sense behavioral expectations.
(Doug Wright lives over Head Tide Hill in Whitefield. He welcomes feedback at douglas.wright22@yahoo.com.)
