Bathroom bills have been popping up in state after state.
You know, the ones that say transgender people can't use a bathroom unless it matches their
birth certificate.
In other words, you can't pee unless you show your toilet papers.
Why are we suddenly seeing so many of these?
The politicians pushing them claim that they just want to protect people.
And you know what?
They're right -- stopping trans people from using the bathroom will protect people -- but
not the people they say.
Lawmakers CLAIM that their bills will stop predators, and protect children.
"When sexual predators get to say they feel like a woman today and they get to go in the
women's restroom."
"Even registered sex offenders could follow women or young girls into the bathroom."
"Allows grown men to use bathrooms and locker rooms with girls and women."
They're giving a lot of thought to seats -- but not toilet seats, legislative seats.
These discriminatory bills don't protect citizens, they protect politicians.
Here's how:
In 2016, there were around fifty bills introduced in various states that discriminated against
trans people -- not just in bathrooms, but in housing, education, employment, and more.
And when you look at who introduced those bills, a funny pattern starts to appear.
For example, HB 4474 in Illinois, introduced by Tom Morrison.
He was up for re-election last year, and won.
Or HB 1624, introduced by Steve Cookson in Missouri.
He was up for re-election, and won.
Colleen Garry won her re-election in Massachusetts last year after introducing HB1320.
So did Bob McDermott, with HB 2181 in Hawaii.
I looked at 197 legislators who wrote, introduced, or co-sponsored trans discrimination bills
in 2016.
Of them, three quarters were running for re-election that year.
And of the politicians running for re-election who introduced discriminatory bills, 96% won
their seat.
Let's be clear: this country does not have a problem with trans people committing crimes
in bathrooms.
But what we do have is a lot of politicians in search of some way to pander to their base.
If this was a decade ago, they'd come up with a wedge issue like, oh I don't know, same-sex
marriage.
That's what they did in 2004, and it worked great -- Republicans put marriage equality
on the ballot in 11 states, and more in state legislatures.
And how did they justify those laws?
By claiming that banning gay marriage would protect children.
"The children of America have a right to have a mother and a father."
"When Massachusetts legalized gay marriage, schools began teaching second graders that
boys can marry boys."
"Changing the definition of marriage would undermine the family structure"
"And then the students are the recipients of that confused approach to instruction and
to education."
"And changing the definition of marriage would undermine the family structure."
Sound familiar?
They're doing exactly the same thing with bathrooms that they did with marriage.
In 2004, the GOP wove a fantasy about gay marriage being a threat to children, that
same-sex couples are dangerous.
They can't get away with that anymore.
So now those same political forces have turned to the next group they can tell a scary story
about: trans people who just want to pee.
And let's be clear: Trans people have been using facilities consistent with their gender
identity for decades, and there are no documented cases of any trans person using an inclusive
bathroom policy to harass, or attack, or commit any kind of crime.
Banning trans people doesn't make bathrooms safer.
In fact, if anyone's in danger, it's trans people themselves.
A Williams Institute study showed that 70% have been been harassed or attacked when trying
to use a bathroom.
So if politicians really cared about safety, they'd make bathrooms more inclusive, not
less.
These bans exist to benefit one group, and one group alone: politicians -- overwhelmingly
Republican -- who are worried about losing their seats and don't mind pandering to unfounded
fears.
That worked great with gay marriage in 2004.
It worked again with bathrooms in 2016.
If only those laws could protect citizens as well as they protect the politicians passing
them.
Thanks for watching -- let me know your thoughts in the YouTube comments and @mattbaume on
Twitter.
Check out this video about how you can debunk bathroom-bill myths the next time someone
claims these bills are needed.
And now if you'll excuse me, I need to see a man about a horse.
"Hello."