Florida rarely ceases to surprise the nation with new levels of absurdity.
At times the state government’s antics are simply laughable, like Gov. Rick Scott’s apparent ban on the term “climate change.” But recently, our representatives have been less hilarious and more downright offensive. On the first legislative session of the year, a bill was introduced that threatens to regress our state into an era of unprecedented bigotry. This is House Bill 583, which is aptly nicknamed The Transgender Discrimination Bill.
If HB 583 is implemented, transgender people will be banned from entering bathrooms, locker rooms and dressing rooms that do not correspond with their legal sex. This means any man born with female genitalia will be forbidden from entering the men’s bathroom, and vice versa, if they haven’t legally changed their sex.
Supporters of this bill claim its passage will increase safety in public facilities. This, of course, is an argument that is not only inherently wrong but also lacks evidence to back it up.
The main premise behind this bill is the idea that transgender persons are a menace in public bathrooms. Essentially, supporters of HB 583 believe allowing biological males that identify as women to enter the women’s bathroom will undoubtedly lead to increased harassment and abuse. However, this sort of thinking is out of date and based off an irrational line of reasoning.
As of right now, 17 other states and 28 municipalities in Florida allow those in the transgender community to utilize the bathrooms of their choosing. None of these places has reported an increase in public safety incidences. This proves the obvious fact: Transgender people are not more likely than others to commit sexual crimes.
This demonstrates our state representatives are driven by archaic ideas regarding the transgender community. Supporters of this bill think transgender people don’t actually identify with their chosen gender, but are just saying it so they can harass people in the bathroom. This line of thinking is the only explanation for the creation of this bill, and this type of thinking is a vestige of the past that has no place in our state.
Any person can potentially harass someone else in the bathroom. Biological males who identify as males harass other men in the bathroom all the time. So under the same logic that this bill is founded, would it not make sense for males to be banned from entering the men’s room?
It is becoming more and more apparent discrimination is not a remnant of the past, but rather a social construct that continually evolves and resurfaces to repress a different sect of our community.
The war against oppression is an ongoing struggle faced by many people in America who are essentially viewed as second-class citizens by our governments. Our representatives blatantly refuse to accept scientific truth and spew lies about the transgender community. Many politicians also refuse to think progressively, and they do not wish to create a community that facilitates lifestyles that differ from what they presume to be correct. As long as certain parts of our community are discriminated against on the basis of archaic rationale and rampant ignorance, we cannot consider our country to be truly free to all. HB 583 is a terrible bill, but it is not an isolated case. Agendas such as this are seen in all facets of our society, from the state to national level. And every time such ignorance is humored by legislation, it is our duty to firmly and vocally oppose it.
We still don’t know if HB 583 will pass. But if it does — and hopefully it won’t — then many years from now, when future generations look back at the political battles of this century, it will be noted that Florida was on the wrong side of history.
Dennis Fiore is a UF political science freshman. His column appears on Wednesdays.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 4/8/2015 under the headline “HB 583 discriminatory, based on archaic reasoning”]
