Shaye Phillips, Features Editor–
Nearly a year after House Bill 68 passed, Ohio could not possibly do anything else to disrupt the lives of its citizens. Right?
Unfortunately, the state couldn’t resist.
On Nov. 13, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill banning transgender students from using bathrooms and locker rooms that don’t align with their sex assigned at birth. It also bans multi-occupancy gender-neutral bathrooms at K-12 schools, public and private, and prohibits K-12 students from sharing overnight accommodations with individuals of the opposite sex.
It appears that Ohio wants to continue tightening the reins on transgender rights.
The controversy around gender-neutral bathrooms has been around since I can remember. A lot of people on social media claim they are disgusting, a safety hazard for women, and a breeding ground for sexual acts. I have not heard of any cases of women being assaulted by transgender people. While sexual violence against women needs to be addressed and combated, cisgender men are normally the main offenders in cases of assault and rape rather than the cases reported on transgender people perpetrating these crimes. Actually, the risks of sexual assault very much relate to transgender women. The idea that transgender bathrooms are harming women becomes even less valid when you consider that banning them subjects even more women and female-identifying individuals to ridicule.
To the argument that non-binary bathrooms are used for sex acts, these issues apply to a lot of other public areas, such as public playgrounds and parking lots. My town’s public playground had gone through a lot of ordeals revolving around inappropriate behavior and a bill wasn’t passed to take it down. As for the claim that non-binary bathrooms are gross, that point does not outweigh the consequences of getting rid of them altogether. Instead, it feels like a small price to pay for those who need to use those bathrooms for their own personal health and comfort.
Also addressing the second part of the bill, it does not make sense that children as young as elementary students can no longer share rooms with people of the same sex. So Ohio thinks prohibiting sleepovers is the next big step to making the state “red” again. This is less of an exploitation of personal needs and health and more of just an invasion of everyday life choices. Whatever happened to having a free country?
Being an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, I will never be able to understand the doubt and worry crossing the minds of transgender and non-binary individuals. However, people outside of the community still have the responsibility to help and support them. A step one can take toward allyship is using gendered facilities rather than gender-neutral facilities if there is an option offered between them. Many transgender and non-binary individuals have mentioned that in situations where there are gender-neutral facilities, cisgender people take advantage of them because it’s nice to have a private restroom. However, this limits availability for the transgender, non-binary, or disabled people who need them more. These bathrooms are a necessity for some, not a luxury for anyone to use at their own benefit.
In a world that is trying and failing to progress through discrimination, it isn’t fair that Ohio consistently gets to backtrack on transgender rights. And to those that believe this storm is over, it is only the beginning. All of these bills are simply a confirmation that Ohio wants to weasel out all citizens that don’t pass the heteronormative, cisgender checklist.