Elizabeth Burton | Oppose SB268

I think it’s important to remember that trans people are all in various states of transition. And while it may sound nice on paper that people should be in the same facilities and gender assigned at birth, the outward appearance of some of these individuals very much doesn’t reflect that, which puts many of these individuals in very real danger. How would you feel if you saw a fully transitioned trans male entering into the woman’s bathroom?? Placing a fulling transitioned trans woman in with male prisoners would be dangerous for that prisoner. This cannot be legislated on a broad sweeping scale because trans people are not a broad sweeping generality. They are PEOPLE! Who just want to live their truest lives, and they deserve the same amount of respect and dignity every other person in this state and in this world does. And these situations should be dealt with compassionately on an individual basis, based on the request and comfort of the trans person involved. As for the locker room children aspect, these are again CHILDREN. How many trans children using locker rooms changing with their peers have the authors of this bill even spoken to? Do they expect these children to be just getting naked and flaunting their body to anyone who can see? This is not reality. Does no one remember changing for gym class? I do. Half the class changed in the bathroom stalls. The other half developed strategic ways to change so no one saw anything. I was on the swim team my entire educational career- 7th grade through collegiate, do you know how many of my teammates I saw stark naked? None. We all change with modesty, no one wants to be seen. And trans kids even less. They don’t want reminders of how their body is different, that’s how body dysmorphia works. So again, can we treat these members of our community with compassion and dignity, instead of constantly legislating against them, creating this witch hunt that they’re somehow evil or pedophiles wanting to corrupt our children. They just want to exist in a space that they feel fits their insides. Just because you don’t understand it, or like it, doesn’t make it wrong. They’re still people. They’re still human. And they deserve the same dignity and respect all humans deserve.