Defining Female In Swarthmore
By Bob Small
There’s a cashier at our local Swarthmore grocery store, puts up a handwritten sign that asks people to address him with a choice of feminine pronouns. Not wanting to be labeled “Transphobic”, I said nothing, feeling gobsmacked.
This person is someone I only have a customer/cashier relationship with and do not know in any other way. I did try once to call him “sis”, but I felt like I was pandering so now I call him “you”, like in see you. I want to avoid being uncomfortable every time I buy groceries while at the same time I respect his right to self-definition, if that makes any sense.
This “uncomfortableness”, leads me to Vermont, where I have two friends, one long term and one newer and mostly electronic, who are frequently on opposite sides of the “Trans” issue. One of them is Trans.
First, of all, one note of explanation, the trans identifying 14 -year-old student, “Rabbit” whose presence in the girls locker room is what my generation would of called “pre-op” or possibly even “transvestite” or, a “junior drag queen.”
Here’s some articles explaining the kerfuffle, keeping in mind that the Daily Signal is affiliated with the right-leaning Heritage Foundation
Vermont High School Under Fire Over Trans Student In Girls’ Locker Room
Vermont School District Suspends Father of Girl Who Pushed Back Against
Randolph high school backs down over transgender incident after ADF files lawsuit
Let us be clear that”Rabbit” was only doing what Vermont state law permits “State Law allows the students to use locker rooms and bathrooms that align with their stated gender identity”
For “Rabbit’s” version of the story, listen to this podcast which Marina was kind enough to send to me.
Travis Allen, father to one of the female complainers, was suspended from his position as Randolph Soccer coach for using a male pronoun to refer to “Rabbit”.
At one point, the girls who complained were scheduled for a “restorative circle” to understand the rights of “transgender students to access public accommodations in a manner consistent with their self proclaimed gender identity”. Then there’s Outright Vermont.
Returning to sleepy Swarthmore, I’m not afraid of being “flagged” from the store unless I use the correct pronoun but I am worried that Vermont (and other states) haven’t figured out ways to protect everyone’s rights. Transgender students should have their rights respected but so should everyone else.
The situation in Pennsylvania schools is more muddled and deserves a separate post.
Defining Female In Swarthmore
