News Round Up: Smooth Sailing for Democratics, Transgender Bathrooms, Former Trans Has Regrets

Some thoughts on recent stories that grabbed my (our) attention:



So much for smooth sailing to the Democratic convention

When the 2016 presidential campaign began, many political prognosticators predicted that democrats would have smooth sailing on their way to the convention while republican candidates would still be scratching and clawing right up to the convention.  With 17 republican candidates, the pundits giddily told us that the entire republican process would be mired in utter chaos, and at best they could only hope to hold the party together.  In stark contrast, they predicted that democrats (they had a field of six candidates) would politely step aside to make way for Hillary to graciously accept the nomination.



Although republicans have certainly had a rough and tumble time, there is only one remaining candidate.  And as the convention approaches, it increasingly appears that republicans will coalesce around Trump.   As for the smooth sailing that the democrats are enjoying, well...take a look at what happend Saturday in Las Vegas at the state convention.

Transgender Bathrooms

First things first, how did this even become a national issue, let alone one involving the United States Department of Justice and every public school in the country? It was the handiwork of President Obama who has a knack for making straw man arguments, which of course are logical fallacies (they make no sense). In fact, he's a master at it.  With the help of the Justice Department, here's how he did it:  He said that transgender students should be afforded the same protections as everyone else and should be allowed to use the bathroom that serves the sex they choose to be.  The Justice Department, Attorney General Loretta Lynch in particular, likened refusal to allow transgendered students to use the washroom of their choosing, to Jim Crow laws. Those statements effectively position anyone that disagrees with transgender students being able to use the bathroom of their choosing, as hateful and in support of Jim Crow-like laws.  Those opposing the issue are then forced to defend themselves instead of explaining their position on the issue.  This is why we keep hearing a stream of people saying things like "I don't hate anyone" "I'm not transphobic" "I don't believe in bigotry".  The opponents are now on the defensive.  Their arguments are suppressed because now, they've been sucked into a debate on who supports fairness and who doesn't. And in the public arena, they will ultimately lose because no one likes a bigot.  It's classic.

But I'm not going to chew on Obama's straw man arugment.  The president's solution and indeed threats, since he's also promising to withhold much needed federal funding from schools that don't comply with his directive, is simply bizarre.  According to every source that I can find, trangender people make up 0.3 percent of the US population, or roughly 956,700 people.  When it comes to hard data for the number of transgender children, it's nearly impossible to find.  But according to several polls, their numbers appear to be around 2%, so we're talking about roughly 15,135 children in the nation that identify as transgender.  My question is where do so-called trans students currently use the restroom during school hours? My guess is that they either go to the teacher's lounge or to another restroom identified by school officials for their use, some. Which is the most rational approach to this matter.

By the way, President Obama also has ordered the schools to not ask for a doctor's statement or a birth certificate from the transgender students.  So you can see where this is going can't you?  Here we go again, President Obama upends another traditional norm.  Boy, he wasn't lying when he said that he was going to transform America.

The Transgenders You Won't Hear About

I'm sure you're aware that not everyone that decides to become transgendered is happy with that decision.  Of course, if you only rely on the news and entertainment media you might think that was the case.  But check out Walter Heyer's blog, Sex Change Regret, it offers another perspective from someone that was once transgender (and the stories of others).  He's also written a piece on Obama's transgender bathroom directive.