The Buzz: It’s Not Really About Bathrooms

Let’s talk about going to the bathroom.

Well, we’re not really going to be talking about that—just as the current debate in North Carolina and beyond isn’t really about toilet stalls. The state’s HB2 statute, also known as the “bathroom bill” was enacted in March, and ever since then, you know what has been hitting the fan.

The bill stipulates that people must use the bathroom that correlates to their birth gender, not the sex with which they identify. Essentially, it forces transgender individuals to use restrooms they shouldn’t be forced to use.

But again, this isn’t about bathrooms—not for conservative politicians and others arguing for genital-based restroom-use, and not for transgender people who just want to pee where they feel comfortable. For both groups, even if one of them refuses to acknowledge it, this issue is highlights bigotry and discrimination. “This is about the dignity and respect that we accord our fellow citizens,” said U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch. “It’s about the founding ideals that have led this country, haltingly but inexorably, in the direction of fairness, inclusion, and equality for all Americans.”

Lynch, herself a native of North Carolina, made these remarks as part of an announcement that the federal government is suing the state for violating Title IX of the Civil Rights Act and the Violence Against Woman Act. “Let me speak now directly to the people of the great state, the beautiful state, my home state of North Carolina,” she said. “You have been told that this law protects vulnerable populations from harm. That is just not the case. What this law does is inflict further indignity for a population that has already suffered far more than its far share. This law provides no benefit to society, and all it does is harm innocent Americans.”

She said more: “Let us learn from our history and avoid repeating the mistakes of our past. Let us reflect on the obvious: State-sanctioned discrimination never works, and it never looks good in retrospect.”

Indeed, Lynch was invoking the shameful laws that segregated bathrooms based on skin color. But of course, once more, it wasn’t really about bathrooms decades ago either. We know that now. Frankly, everyone knew it then.

It’s particularly disgraceful that North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory cited that Lynch is overstepping since gender identity isn’t covered under federal sexual-discrimination laws. That’s actually debatable, but more importantly, his actions demonstrate a disgusting insistence on using a potential legal loophole to justify trampling on the rights—never mind the dignity—of fellow citizens.

Meanwhile, various music artists and businesses—including PayPal and Deutsche Bank—are pulling away from the state. If McCrory won’t listen to federal reasoning, maybe he’ll respond to a loss of coins.