Viewpoint: On sexuality and bullying
David Daniels
As a former teacher, I’ve had occasion to respond to bullying behaviors by students. Usually around 8th grade, some boy makes a homophobic slur against another kid. My standard response has been to inform students that it’s the people who are most insecure about their own sexuality who question the sexuality of others. There’s truth to this statement and it generally halts the abuse.
Why are Republicans so fixated on issues of gender and sexuality? Could it be repressed feelings that accompany growing up in a secluded and isolated culture? Are they insecure about their own sexual identity?
Former senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho) was caught soliciting sex in a public bathroom. Craig espoused conservative values publicly and railed against LGBTQ rights while hiding his true nature. I believe Montana legislators wasting time on gender issues are also hiding their true nature.
When entering a public restroom, I fear that I might encounter a Republican senator. I hope Montana legislators can protect cis-men like myself in their bathroom laws and not just biological women.
The efforts by Republicans to restrict bathroom access deserves scorn and ridicule. The recent antics of Lauren Bobert (R-Colorado) and Nancy Mace (R-South Carolina) calling security officers to women’s bathrooms shows why. Innocent people are being targeted by these irresponsible fools.
I know of transgender males with musculature and facial hair that Montana women would not want to see in their bathroom. Conversely, I’ve known transgender females who could draw the gaze of (almost) every man within 100 feet. I would prefer these people use the women’s restroom, since it matches their true nature. Such people are not entering the bathroom to assault others, they are simply relieving themselves.
When someone accepts the social and medical challenges of adopting a different gender identity, they fully embrace that transition. They are not stalkers. Unlike many hetero males, including those serving in Trump’s cabinet, they are not acting as predators. They only want to be themselves and have a chance for happiness. It’s a sad state of affairs when peaceful members of the LBGTQ community suffer stigmatism while cis-men who treat women and other people badly are given positions of power.
Republicans who attack LGBTQ rights and families supporting their own children need to confront their own insecurities about sexuality. Declaring the existence of only two genders is misguided because it’s a political statement devoid of biological fact or understanding. Politicians need to butt out of other people’s medical care.
Montana Republicans refuse to address issues such as expanding health care, strengthening public education, meaningful tax reform, or protecting the environment. Instead, they attack vulnerable people, restrict information and freedom of speech, deny that problems exist, and protect their billionaire patrons.
If legislators really want to protect people and safeguard moral standing, they would require churches to report sexual abuse, facilitate reporting by victims, process rape kits, increase DUI penalties, clean-up our prisons and psychiatric institutions, and suspend local prosecutors (particularly in Great Falls) who fail to vigorously defend crime victims.