Any casual news consumer knows that there is a serious potty problem in the United States. The media report that huge numbers of perverts are putting on dresses, claiming to be trans-gendered, and then are hiding in women’s restrooms all over the country. It’s hard to say what their intentions are since there are no reports of actual crimes being committed under such circumstances. Whatever their plans, we are told we must act, even though the reality is the opposite of what is being reported: it is trans-gendered people who are being assaulted in public bathrooms. According to some right-wing religious groups, legislation is urgently needed to protect women from sexual predators.
Now I certainly agree that females need legal protection from assault. But I think starting with college campuses like Harvard Law School and workplace environments like Hollywood would be much more productive. I know it’s a quaint idea that legislation should be based on actual facts rather than on beliefs, and I don’t mean “alternative facts” either. While I understand the need for politicians to sometimes use unsavory tactics to obtain and maintain office, there should be limits. Hurting people, like those in the trans-gendered population, should be a line uncrossed.
There are two billion people in the world who do not have access to toilets, yet some people are wasting taxpayer time and money fighting imaginary “potty pirates.” This is a textbook example of a First World problem. One third of the people on Earth are subject to disease and death due to poor or nonexistent human waste disposal systems, and some religious groups are spending their time and fortunes trying to get basic sanitation to those who need it. Exhibit A is the Gates Foundation’s efforts to invent and build eco-friendly toilets. They understand that safe fecal and urine collection is a human necessity. They spend their time, talent, and treasure on the actual problem of helping people in need.
What really bothers me about the potty kerfuffle is that in our homes and in early and later stages of life, bathrooms are integrated. Nobody has designated bathrooms in their house. In preschools, for example, children use bathrooms with doors open, in gender-neutral fashion. For safety reasons, teachers don’t let three year olds use the toilet unsupervised. They also can’t abandon the other children to attend to one child when nature calls. It’s true that around age five, some children start requesting privacy. This is a cultural rather than biological preference as shown by the casual urination practices in countries without facilities. In most of the world, waste elimination is not a big deal and lacks a sexual connotation.
Recently, I took an education class at Colorado College. As is often the case, I was the only man in the class. Break time usually gives me a distinct advantage since there is a much longer line for the women’s bathroom than the men’s, but CC has gender-neutral bathrooms. They turned the men’s bathroom neutral by putting a stall around the urinal. While I admit that it was a little disconcerting to come out of the stall and see a female washing her hands, it really was no different than using the bathroom in someone’s house during a party. Furthermore, an enclosed urinal would be very welcome by the seven percent of the population who suffer from paruresis. It is a simple and inexpensive solution to the potty parity problem which has gotten desperate women arrested for using the men’s room at sports stadiums. Every bathroom at CC has an equal number of stalls that are open to whoever needs them.
I congratulate CC and the businesses I have seen instituting similar solutions. Life is hard enough, even in first world countries, without having to stress over bathrooms. Many might feel discomfort at first with gender-neutral facilities, but everybody manages to cope with uni-sex toilets in homes, small businesses and offices. People will adjust to this culture change as more public places adopt them. Freedom in America has always been a tug-of-war between the rights of the individual and the needs of the group. On this issue, I think equality demands the discomfort of change–potty pirates be damned.
