On the matter of transgender women in locker rooms - a Compromise

With more than 850 laws introduced regulating trans lives this year alone, it is no secret that the issue of transgender rights is particularly polarizing for the country. What follows are my beliefs regarding how the United States should address and fulfill its opportunity to lead in this issue.

While I do not necessarily believe that transgender women in locker rooms poses an inherent threat to cisgender women, I am espoused to the belief that the issue should be approached with more empathy for the right wing argument. What is needed is a similar kind of compromise to between the Left and the Right, to that which is needed on the open-carry regulation of firearms.

Opponents, usually aligning with right wing advocates, have stated they believe the presence of transgender women in female spaces to be a personal security issue. Their arguments follow the logic that the introduction of the possibility for assault inherently guarantees harm will occur; whereas, proponents on the left have uncharacteristically advocated for the issue to be resolved apathetically; often requiring those on the right to simply adjust or not be present. I believe it is up to us to find middleground; and as a transgender woman in America, who is a centrist, I strongly feel that this issue currently lacks leadership.

I believe that for the very same reasons an individual can be made uncomfortable in a restaurant or family-friendly space by gun toting people, a cisgender female can be made uncomfortable in the locker room, being forced to undress around and be exposed to those who possess typically male-associated genitalia.

Understanding it is not possible to please everyone, millions of women should not suddenly be expected to become comfortable with this exposure in a space where they should feel safe from the possibility of harm.

Millions of women have traumatic experiences and/or have relationships with those who have traumatic experiences involving the male sex. Similarly, millions of people have exposure to gun violence. One never truly can predict how the things we do and believe will affect those around us; and so as transgender women, it is both our opportunity and our responsibility to be considerate and protective of our cisgender counterparts. It is important that we try to make each other feel safe and empathize with one another. I believe that unless a facility has a well-known policy permitting transgender women in its locker rooms, regulations restricting those without gender-affirming surgery should be put in place. This issue should largely be left up to the states as we continue to love one another on this grand experimental ride we call, America.