Bathrooms and Gender

Okay, let’s talk about bathrooms and gender. This is a topic that is quickly becoming a pet peeve for me and many others. So here is my point of view. 

Gender is not a mental condition. You either have a penis or you have a vulva. If you have a penis you are scientifically male. If you have a vulva, you are scientifically female. Yes, you can have a penis and love things typically associated with women. You can have a vulva and love things typically associated with men. But that does not change your scientific gender!

What’s that have to do with bathrooms? Simple, if you have a penis you are physically able to use a urinal and if you have a vulva you are not. Most men’s bathrooms are mostly urinals with one or two stalls for when men have to poop. Women’s bathrooms are entirely stalls because a vulva is not conducive for using a urinal. By stating that people who mentally feel they are the opposite gender should be allowed to use that genders bathroom is effectively ordering all businesses to remodel their bathrooms. Not only is that unfair, but it is also expensive, and for historical buildings it is completely unrealistic.

Adding to that, the lines for women’s bathrooms are already long enough! Do we really want to add in people who have a penis to that line just because they want to wear dresses and high heels? Do we really want to have that long line for the one or two stalls in the men’s room so women who like jeans and short hair can take them up while some poor guy who desperately needs to poop has to wait an hour? It’s not even close to being a fair situation. Bathrooms have been designed for hundreds of years based on gender. If you want ask that future bathrooms not have that allowance, that’s fine, but please don’t bankrupt some poor Mom & Pop business just because you feel like a gender that you scientifically aren’t!

If the words on the door stating Mens and Womens are offensive, we can change them to Penis and Vulva for you. It will still be just and gender specific from a scientific stand point, but maybe sensitive emotions will be happier.

I have no problem with people who feel they are in the wrong body. It’s fine if you have issues with what you were born with, many people do. Please though, be reasonable! You can’t change your scientific gender by simply feeling it’s wrong and wishing. There are too many side effects from what is being asked. The cost of renovating every public bathroom in the country is the one. The ability for sexual predators to have easier access is a second (and yes, there are already cases of this happening in states with gender fluid bathroom laws). Third, is the very simple fact that denying science and denying who you are has never, and will never, be healthy.

I for one, don’t care if you have a penis and happen to love dresses and thongs or if you have a vulva and happen to love hockey getting into spitting contests. Be and do what makes you happy! Just remember that your Rights to happiness stop when it harms others. Putting someone out of business is causing harm. Opening access for sexual predators is harm. Most importantly… making someone have to wait an extra-long time to poop just because you don’t want to admit your scientific gender is a fact and not an emotion… that is seriously cruel! 

Twitter is full of interesting debates.

The bases of the debate is: Can Male to Female Transgenders have a Period?

Now, let's start off with the definition of a "Period" also called a Menstrual Period or Menstrual Cycle.

Menstrual cycle: The monthly cycle of changes in the ovaries and the lining of the uterus (endometrium), starting with the preparation of an egg for fertilization. When the follicle of the prepared egg in the ovary breaks, it is released for fertilization and ovulation occurs. Unless pregnancy occurs, the cycle ends with the shedding of part of the endometrium, which is menstruation. Although it is actually the end of the physical cycle, the first day of menstrual bleeding is designated as "day 1" of the menstrual cycle in medical parlance.

(From http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=7865) 

Based on that definition the simple answer is No. At this time a gender changing operation does not give genetically born men ovaries, eggs, nor a functional uterus. 

However, according to some articles transwomen can have symptoms like those of a genetic woman. (http://www.theestablishment.co/2016/05/31/yes-trans-women-can-get-period-symptoms/)

Now this debate is much like the gender debate we already have about which bathroom to use if you're Transgender. If you feel like you are menstruating does it count as an actual Menstrual Cycle? If you feel like a woman but were born with a male body it's said that you can count as a woman. Where and when do feelings override science?

This, to me, is a massive mess of fuzzy logic. Feelings are not scientific fact. You are either menstruating or your are not. If you feel like you are.. it's likely you need to change your diet and lay off the hormone pills for a bit because you are damaging your body.

As always I am open to your opinions and welcome Friendly Debate. If you're an ass/bitch about this, you are welcome to make your own blog and rant there, leave a link in the comments here so those who want to see it can. I just expect people to have good manners on my page. 

Respect... I just don't get it?

For some reason I keep getting into trouble over Respect. I've had this problem my whole life. Teachers, bosses, friends, family, pastors, and anyone else I interact with tend to think I don’t show respect, or at least what they think respect is. That may be my biggest problem. My definition of “respect” is not in line with what most people in my country see it as… or maybe it’s just that they confuse or don’t know the definition of it themselves. I’m sure Webster’s Dictionary has some base definition that leaves lots of room for interpretation, but I’m not going to bother posting it, as people can look that up themselves.

To me, respect is showing people that you think they are worth something and that they are important to you. One can show respect by being helpful or giving complements, by being a friendly ear or a friendly kick in the ass when one is needed. People are respectful to those who have earned their respect or to people they’ve just met who they give the benefit of the doubt to until the respect is earned or lost.

Respect is not about giving needless complements to make someone happy (i.e. brown nosing). It’s not about refraining from complementing someone because someone else may be offended. It’s not about changing who you are to make others like you. Respect is not something you do only because it’s the polite thing to do, nor because others think its proper behavior.

Respect is given to by You to those who You think deserve it or those who may deserve it. I’m really tired of people wanting and expecting respect just because They think They deserve it! That’s not how it works, never has, never will. I’m also tired of people thinking I’m being disrespectful for saying something that is true, simply because those people think someone else is in a position to take offence at my statement. Since when has stating a Fact or a Truth become a sign of disrespect!? Just because someone has an issue with the truth or doesn’t think the person stating the fact or truth is in the proper position to state it doesn’t mean that person is being disrespectful!

Please, do me a favor. The next time someone does something you don’t like and you begin to tell them “it’s a matter of respect” Stop and think. Is it really about respect? Or is it just something your ego doesn’t want to deal with?