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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

opinion letters

Letter: Pay to pee Bill

I really need to know why Indiana legislators are so worried about who poops next to who. With everything else going on in our world, like perhaps the fact that Donald Trump may become president, I feel like who we poop beside does not need to be regulated.

It is sad that I now feel very fortunate to have always been given the opportunity to use the restroom that I identify with, without any threat of facing charges for my choice. Senate Bill 35 makes it a Class A misdemeanor if a transgender individual uses the restroom of their choice, instead of the restroom designed to their gender at birth. A Class A misdemeanor is the highest non-felony charge in Indiana, punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000 dollars.

When you go to the bathroom, you go there to do one or two things and get out. After a conversation with classmates about this topic I began to get sick of hearing how bathrooms should be “comfortable.” Since when did people start going to public bathrooms for comfort? I know personally that I do not feel “comfortable” in any public restrooms, however that’s fine with me because I do not go there seeking comfort or to take a nap, eat lunch, etc.

I’ve also heard people defend SB 35 by discussing how dangerous it could for cisgender individuals and that allowing transgender individuals to use the restroom of their choice puts cisgender individuals in harms way. Unfortunately for the people that use this defense, there’s absolutely no evidence to support it.

Luke Brinker and Carlos Maza from Media Matters conducted a survey of 15 law enforcement officials, government employees and advocates for victims of sexual assault from 12 different states.

These surveys they yielded absolutely NO incidents of transgender individuals harassing or assaulting cisgender individuals in public restrooms.

With no evidence to show that transgender individuals pose any danger in the public or school restrooms of their choice, this bill is left with no grounds to stand on.

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