Charles Colson has written a sharp and perceptive essay on the new Colorado law that allows anyone to enter a public bathroom. This was signed into law by our Democratic Governor. (Why does this not surprise me?) "Transgendered" people are in mind. So, if a transvestite (the proper term) wants to use a women's rest room, he is legally allowed to do so.
This is insane. Genitals matter in this form of discrimination. If you are genitally male, stay away from the ladies room--and vice versa. What is now stopping a sexual predator from going into the women's room to stalk (or worse) a young girl? How would a defecating male in the women's make women--real women--feel in there? Can you hold it until you get home?
Tom Minnery wrote this in The Denver Post (May 23, 2008) before this legal monstrosity was signed into law:
Restrooms are not the only problem. The bill adds a prohibition against discrimination in "sexual orientation" to more than 23 separate provisions of Colorado law that already prohibit discrimination in various areas of public life. As a result, SB 200 threatens religious liberty. That's because Colorado's broadly defined "public accommodations" law includes not just hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, and all the usual places you'd think of, but also every small business, even a home-based business, that offers "goods or services" to the public.
A refusal to do business with someone based on a sincerely held religious belief that homosexuality is wrong would violate the law. That threatens the religious liberties of every Christian, Jewish or Muslim business owner who operates a business on faith-based principles.
This is not a hypothetical threat. In Albuquerque, which has a similar law, a Christian husband and wife who own and operate their own photography studio were recently hauled before that state's human rights commission and fined more than $6,600 for politely refusing, on religious grounds, to photograph a lesbian "commitment ceremony." We've seen similar charges brought by homosexuals against a video reproduction business in Virginia, a medical clinic in California, an adoption service in Arizona and a church in New Jersey.
Colorado tops them all on the potential outrage meter, however, because in addition to civil fines and penalties, small-business owners can be prosecuted under the criminal laws of Colorado and spend up to one year in jail for trying to live according to their faith.
To add insult to injury, your tax dollars will be used to prosecute these people of faith, and the legislature is expecting 30 complaints and three legal cases per year. We believe the people of Colorado would disapprove of small-business owners being hauled away to jail for refusing to promote messages contrary to their religious and moral beliefs, simply because they operate a small photography or other business.
None of us wants to see people humiliated or embarrassed because of how they appear in public and no one should be turned away from hotels, restaurants and other truly "public accommodations." But this law intrudes on the freedoms of conscience of untold numbers of people of faith, and the consequences for Colorado will be severe.
This law could be fixed if Democrats in the legislature wanted to work with conservatives to protect women and children, as well as the religious and moral beliefs of small- business owners.
Gov. Ritter should veto this version of the bill and ask the legislature to come back next year with something that we can all be proud of.
Citizen of Colorado: revolt (within the bounds of the law). This needs to be protested and overturned, perhaps through a ballot initiative. At age 51, I can hardly believe the level of debauchery embraced by our society in the past few years. We are seeing Romans 1:18-32 played out before our eyes--and in our public bathrooms.
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7 comments:
Beyond doubt. Yuck. Do beat this one, Coloradans!
If my wife or mother was in a bathroom and a "man" deliberately entered the same bathroom, I would promptly beat the hell out of that "man".
Over ten years ago I was in a ladies room on the mall in Washington, DC. A very large man, dressed as a woman entered, went to the sink and proceeded to wash up and shave. My young daughters ran out in horror. I left when I could. I realized then that there was probably no recourse. Families have no rights in a liberated Amerika.
Maybe we'll have to set up our own gender sane rest rooms around the country.
Seems like someone should start sending out Travel Advisories warning tourists about the dangerous restroom situation in CO.
Travel warning. With the recent incidents of indecent exposure in restrooms, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada is urging Canadians to exercise a "high degree of caution" when visiting the State of Colorado in the United States.
Be street smart. If people tell you not to go into a certain restroom, they usually know what they're talking about.
Just my two cents:
SB 200 contains a clause that states a person may discriminate "for reasons applicable alike to all citizens". Would not restroom usage fall into this category, being that it is based on what gender you physically are? Also, the law specifically identifies that places of worship are exempt.
I'm not sure why Focus decided to focus on bathroom usage. It almost seems like a scare tactic to me. I would urge people to read the actual document and come to their own conclusion about it. It's available at colorado.gov.
Does this mean a transexual woman (a female who dresses male) could join the army and go to combat?
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