On bathroom legislation
I applaud Kelly Ayotte’s veto of the latest NH bathroom ban bill. EVERYONE has a right to public bathrooms. It is also YOUR responsibility to ensure the safety of yourself and children.
In the past, I absolutely have taken my children with me into public bathrooms regardless of what the children’s sex assigned at birth were. I have also taken them into the locker room with me at both public and private facilities. What I have noticed that changed over the years, is that now there are “family restrooms” or “family facilities”. Not because the government banned children from entering, but because many people felt it was more comfortable for everyone.
A couple of things on that: it was NOT because the original way was resulting in crimes. It was to make all people feel more comfortable. If you feel uncomfortable in a bathroom or locker room I encourage you to think about why and how to make it more comfortable. Overwhelming the easiest solution I am hearing to make people comfortable is to have full stalls (from floor to ceiling with no wide cracks and lockable doors, or single person facilities). That is done in several places now and it does not violate personal rights and privacy while making most people feel comfortable.
What is NOT ok is to make you comfortable by removing other people’s rights. You don’t get to just take your bias and remove people because of it. EVERY person has rights regardless of: social & economic status, race, sex, gender, clothing, religion, sexual orientation, living situation, job, disability, or any factor. Living in society means that public places are inclusive for EVERYONE. You also have the right to choose whether or not to use or visit those public places. You do not get to try to pass laws or use government to exclude people who are not violating your rights (ie your rights end where someone else’s rights begin, they don’t supersede someone else’s rights regardless of whether you agree with how that person lives).