by Diane Robertson
When Target decided to allow men into women’s restrooms, favoring the comfort of the LGBT community, something unusual happened. People were upset. And despite being called bigots and hateful and homophobic, they stood their ground. Why? Well, unlike gay marriage, this has hit people in a much more personal way. Who one marries, people think, affects just them. But where one goes to the bathroom in public affects everyone’s privacy and safety.
One man, Andy Park, wanted to find out if men really were allowed in women’s restrooms at Target, so he made a video asking if he could use the women’s restroom. The astonishing video makes it clear that not only can men use the women’s restroom, but that if the women complain, they will be chastised by the manager.
Another man, Izzy Avraham, brought his daughter to Target to ask about the policy. He was not happy to be told that any man could follow his daughter into the bathroom. Target said that the change is to be inclusive. Avraham responded, “Telling me you’re ok with men walking into the bathroom behind my baby girl actually doesn’t make me feel like I belong…Target just told us — and millions of concerned parents — that we’re no longer accepted, respected, and welcome in their stores.”
The American Family Association called for a boycott of Target, and to the surprise of many, the pledge has just under 800,000 signatures as of Tuesday night.
Stories about women being molested at a women’s shelter by a man dressed as a woman, video-taped in gender neutral bathrooms , young girls being exposed to naked men, and girls and women sexually assaulted in bathrooms have been circulating.
The LGBT lobby has been successful at taunting its opposition into silence, but when it comes to protecting women and children, many more people can and are standing up to their taunts.