Unisex.jpg

A bill would require parental notification when students prefer to use restrooms other than those that correspond with their biological sex, as well as control which restrooms those students could use. Pictured is a unisex bathroom on the third floor of University of Michigan-Flint's French Hall. (Sarah Schuch | MLive.com)

(Sarah Schuch | MLive.com)

After graduating college, I worked at a bookstore where there was a quiet girl on our staff, PJ.

PJ was pleasant with the customers, but always very withdrawn in the break room. She didn't engage in much of our sales floor banter and never joined us at the bar after work. When I asked coworkers about her, I was given some unexpected information.



"PJ is transitioning," I was told. "She used to be male. That's why she uses her initials."

(I've changed the initials for the sake of privacy).



Her silence suddenly made sense. She was working through an epic existential crisis with a fundamental question at the center of it: "Who am I?"

It's a question we all ask of ourselves at certain times. But even if on some ontological level we all experience the same fear and trembling about our souls, most of us have racial, ethnic, social and gender categories we easily slip into.



PJ and thousands like her have an even more difficult road to happiness and prosperity in America. People who are transgender or gender non-conforming are mocked, ridiculed and ogled in public. They face high rates of bullying, violence and suicide.

It's even more pronounced for transgender people of color.

They are made to feel less American, less human.

As if they weren't humiliated enough on a daily basis, now there's a national discussion about where they can perform the most basic human function: go to the bathroom.

A bill recently introduced into the Michigan Senate would make it more difficult for people like PJ to find their way toward acceptance in American life. It's not just distasteful and intolerant, but possibly illegal per the Title IX anti-discrimination law.

Tom Casperson (R-Escanaba)

America has always struggled to find a way to extend freedom and liberty to everyone. As this bill shows, the battle's not over.

Stoking fear

It never occurred to me to think about what bathroom PJ used at work. Why would I care? We had bigger bathroom problems, namely customers sneaking books and magazines into the john and leaving them there.



I'm sure PJ used whatever bathroom felt appropriate to her. And no one felt the need to make a big deal out of it. I'm sure it's been that way since the days when we first designated restrooms for men and women.



But now conservatives have brought this very question to the forefront of our national consciousness, starting with state lawmakers in North Carolina voting in March to bar transgender people from bathrooms that don't match the gender on their birth certificates.

More headlines followed after the Department of Justice and North Carolina filed lawsuits against each other. Even more after 11 states filed suit to fight President Barack Obama's directive that would put federal funds on hold if states didn't allow transgender people to use the bathroom that matched their gender identities.

Attorney General Bill Schuette is joining the fray now, too. On Thursday, he wrote a letter to federal officials demanding Obama's directive be retracted. He was urged along in the fight by Sen. Joe Hune (R-Fowlerville) and state Representatives Lana Theis (R-Brighton) and Hank Vaupel (R-Fowlerville).

It seems to be a conversation conservatives want people to have. It incenses their base and brings a misunderstood topic to the forefront, stoking the public's fear about something they might not truly comprehend.

To many, transgender and gender non-conforming people are perceived as sexual deviants. As many transgender men and women testify to, it's not about sex; it's about identity.

The main argument being used as a tool to spread fear, especially when it comes to schools, is that it opens restrooms up to predatory sexual behavior.

I don't know about you, but sex is generally the last thing on my mind when using a public toilet. I'm pretty sure transgender folks feel the same way. They're just human beings, after all.

Bad for Michigan's soul

Luckily, North Carolina has been widely jeered and derided for its decision.

Michigan could go the same way if a bill introduced Wednesday by state Sen. Tom Casperson (R-Escanaba) gets any traction in Lansing. Casperson's bill may be motivated by his upcoming bid for U.S. Congress in the state's 1st Congressional District. He will face fellow Republicans Jason Allen and Jack Bergman in the primary. Democrats Lon Johnson and Jerry Cannon are also vying for the seat.

It certainly is getting him more attention than usual.

House Speaker Kevin Cotter (R-Mt. Pleasant)

Here's how the issue has been unraveling in Michigan:

In February, the State Board of Education issued a

A month later, Michigan's Republican House Speaker Kevin Cotter

On March 31, Casperson

On Wednesday, May 25, Casperson

Casperson said the issue was more about parental rights because, under the guidelines, students could change bathrooms without parental notification.

"The fact that they would allow a child to say 'I don't want my mom and dad to know' that they're taking such a big leap in life... is unacceptable," Casperson was quoted in MLive saying.

Opponents were quick to weigh in.

"Proponents of this policy call it reasonable and accommodating," State Senator Rebekah Warren (D-Ann Arbor) said in a press release. "The truth is, it's anything but. The reality is that LGBTQ students are subject to pervasive harassment and discrimination, which negatively impacts their health, well-being and academic achievement. They are forty-one percent more likely to report being bullied than their non-LGBTQ peers and are 4.5 times more likely to attempt suicide. I cannot make this any more clear: this legislation will only make the problem worse, putting LGBTQ youth directly in harm's way."

I think the State Board of Education was wise to draw up suggestions for districts in how to better serve its transgender students. It's a good start to what will likely be a long struggle to make them more comfortable and give them the freedom to learn.

Why Cotter and Casperson feel the need to fight the voluntary guidance put forth by the state school board is perplexing. After all, it gives districts a choice to adopt them or not. As lawmakers, they should have the best interests of all Michiganders in mind. Every citizen deserves compassion and understanding from its government

I have two children myself and understand the instinct to protect them from any sort of danger. But the real danger is if we show our children that this kind of intolerance is acceptable.

Michigan doesn't need to be known as a place that allows this kind of discrimination. It's bad for everything: our reputation, our image and our economy.

But most of all, it's bad for our souls.



This is an opinion column by John Counts, a writer on MLive's Impact Team. Contact him at johncounts@mlive.com.