this post was submitted on 20 Jan 2024
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Utah’s Republican-controlled House voted Friday to pass a sweeping proposal to keep transgender people out of restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity in taxpayer-funded buildings, sending the measure to the state’s majority GOP Senate for consideration just three days after the start of the session.

House Bill 257 aims to prohibit individuals from using gender-designated facilities that differ from their sex assigned at birth in government buildings, correctional facilities and domestic violence shelters unless they have undergone a transition-related surgery and legally amended the sex on their birth certificate.

The proposal would require new government buildings to include single-occupant restrooms and changing rooms while existing ones must be studied to assess “the feasibility of retrofitting or remodeling” facilities to improve privacy.

...

The bill, if passed, would make Utah the third state to adopt explicit restrictions on transgender bathroom use in buildings other than schools. A Florida law passed last year prevents transgender people from using facilities consistent with their gender identity in all government-owned buildings, and a North Dakota law restricts bathroom use in correctional facilities.

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[–] [email protected] 88 points 10 months ago (9 children)

Uhhh, once the door closes, HOW DO YOU KNOW IF A TRANS PERSON IS IN THERE?

Wouldn’t surprise me if they tried sending people with mirrors on sticks into johns, to save the children of course.

[–] [email protected] 57 points 10 months ago (1 children)

They don't give a shit about logistics of this, they just care that people who vote for them will cheer.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 10 months ago (1 children)

once the door closes, HOW DO YOU KNOW IF A TRANS PERSON IS IN THERE?

The glow and glittersplosion

Signed, a trans person

[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago

Bruh, when do I get those powers?

[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago

They don't. They're just going to use it as an excuse to harass and persecute a whole bunch of masculine-looking cis women.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago

There’s a post I saw about a transgender (I forgot which way let’s just say woman) went into the men’s bathroom and someone (or multiple people) thought she was a trans man and beat her up, DESPITE HER DOING EXACTLY WHAT THE LAW SAID.

[–] Scubus 7 points 10 months ago

The secret is that it primarily targets low-passing trans people, which are the ones they dislike the most.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

Republicans smashing through the wall like Kool-aid man OH YEAH!

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[–] [email protected] 85 points 10 months ago (5 children)

A long time ago I was asked by a friend my opinion of transgender people using their restroom that corresponds to their true gender (the one that does not correspond to their birth sex). My answer was this:

I don’t give a fuck who you are, I don’t wanna shit next to you. All bathrooms should be individual, floor to ceiling walls, so I can shit in peace.

The real ban should be on group shitting.

[–] eestileib 16 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Counterpoint: the public communal toilets in Rome were important locations for grassroots political organizing.

(But yeah, going to European office buildings and getting a fully enclosed shitter was pretty nice.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Countercounterpoint: we have the internet now.

I just want us to fart freely. Maybe we would all be better people if we were not filled with hot air.

[–] eestileib 8 points 10 months ago (5 children)

Counterpoint : the internet is mostly funneled through a very small number of companies run by regressive fuckheads, and can not be relied upon for free exchange of ideas that may endanger said regressive fuckheads.

I agree on ventilation though.

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[–] [email protected] 46 points 10 months ago (4 children)

If it looks like a man, sounds like a man, and pees like a man, it does not belong in the women's restroom! Trans men look like men, sound like men, and sometimes even pee like men and this bill will force them to pee in women's restrooms! If you want to keep bearded people out of the women's restroom, you should have voted against this bill.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago (2 children)

The law is dumb. But it does exclude those that have undergone transition.

[–] [email protected] 28 points 10 months ago (2 children)

not every trans person gets genital surgery, in fact the majority don't. additionally, in many states your birth cert can't be amended so then not even everyone who's had genital reassignment may use the restroom legally. that bit is there specifically to make it sound halfway reasonable to the uninformed who think transition is a surgery.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The comment I responded to said "and pees like a man", which is why I pointed out the exclusion.

Whilst I am admittedly ignorant to transition definitions and American law I'm still able to sympathise on how trans people are seemingly being targeted for no reason other than political BS.

I don't understand the logic behind it. Who cares what sex people are under their clothes. What do they think is happening in the restrooms that needs fixing?

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

I'm not gonna cut my dick off to go to the right bathroom wtf

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 10 months ago (1 children)

In every state that passes a bathroom ban I think we should just piss on Republican lawmakers cars instead.

We gotta go somewhere, fuckers.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago

I couldn't agree more. I'm so sick of the projection from the right. Just because you're a disgusting pervert doesn't mean everyone else is!

[–] [email protected] 31 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Everyone involved in passing this law should be barred from working in government. We're facing an existential crisis from climate change, an ongoing gun violence crisis, mounting wealth inequality, rising right wing extremism that's already reached coup levels, and more, and this is what they're spending time on?

Three Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against it.

At least three republicans have some tattered remains of a soul, maybe.

Let me take this time to remind all of you that Jury Nullification is an unavoidable part of our legal process. If you're on the jury, you can give any verdict you want. You don't have to show your work! So that means you can say "Not Guilty" for any old reason.

Now, this can be used for Evil, like a southern jury not convicting a white man for murdering a black man. But it can also be used for good! You can nullify laws that are unjust. If someone is being charged for marijuana crimes, for an unrelated example, you can just say Not Guilty. They can't do anything to you.

So go forth and nullify, friends, any and all unjust laws. Tell your friends.

[–] RobertoOberto 7 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Do it.

But be quiet about it. Talking about it in the courthouse can get you thrown off the jury or into a bunch of legal bullshit.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

A guide to jury nullification, which you can follow or not. I ain't your papa.

  • Look it up
  • Don't talk about it at or near a courthouse
  • Only nullify laws you think shouldn't be there. Let's keep murder as a crime for example
  • Never lie to the judge. If you are asked if you could convict a person for an unjust law go ahead and say "yes". Because it is true, since it is something you COULD do. Nothing is physically stopping you therefore you could do it.
  • Don't say that you are nullifing. Continue to argue the evidence and testimony are corrupt and non-convincing. No one in the jury room is going to be able to read your mind. Call the cop a liar, say the footage was shopped, etc.
  • No matter how often the judge tells you or the video tells you that you are to make a decision based on the fact not on the law just remember there is a reason why they are telling you this. They are terrified of what our power really means.
[–] [email protected] 29 points 10 months ago (1 children)

House Bill 257 aims to prohibit individuals from using gender-designated facilities that differ from their sex assigned at birth in government buildings, correctional facilities and domestic violence shelters unless they have undergone a transition-related surgery and legally amended the sex on their birth certificate.

My first instinct is to tear apart the logic of this, because this wildly doesn't even adress the lived reality of many trans people. I pass as a cis woman and I can't remember the last time I was misgendered, but I also am not getting surgery. Unless they start doing genital checks at the door, I don't see how this would even affect me? Now I know I'm privileged for that, I'm just calling attention to an arbitrary metric that SURGEY makes using my bathroom acceptable, but it's the only metric cis bigots can even comprehend.

But I know logic isn't the point, hatred is the point. Congrats Utah. You put meaningless discrimination on the books. Hate you too buddy.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago

The new genital scanner tech proposed by silicon valley start up, shit-right, will allow public restrooms to determine who can and can't use the bathroom within a 99.9% degree of certainty according to company spokesperson. With the use of AI enabled 3d scanners and cloud based large data set machine learning you will never have to worry about the gender of a person in the stall next to you again. A short 30 minute 3d scan will be taken by trained technicians, uploaded to the secure off-site cloud computing server where shit-rights AI advisor will analyze and determine the gender of the bathroom user within a 5 minute window. Finally a safe and non-humiliating way to use the bathroom. In case anyone hasn't seen it adultSwim did something similar back in the day.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 10 months ago (3 children)

The thing that scares me about these laws being passed is that they serve to embolden those who want to hurt us. MAGA uses this as a hate feedback loop. They are winning. Any anti-LGBT bill that passes is a W for them and a step closer to the edge of society for us. It’s not going to stop.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (4 children)

The thing that scares me about these laws is it serves as a blanket permission to use the power of the state to harass anyone who is gender nonconforming for simply going to the bathroom.

Edit: And having to know the patchwork of discriminatory laws for anywhere I have to go in the country I live in is tiring as hell too.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

It very well could stop, though. The MAGA movement is on life support. Republicans are losing state-wide elections and referendums. They’re losing previously red states and gaining none in return. In November, we have a chance to reelect a President who they call senile. One more loss to the guy who, in their minds, doesn’t even know where he is, would be the end of the national MAGA movement. But if they win, then it’s time to start panicking. Now is the time to organize against Trump

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 10 months ago

Focusing on the real issues, yes indeed. Uh-huh.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago (3 children)

So, I guess, instead of his and hers, they just make a bunch of individual rooms? No gender bathrooms, just like you have at home. I mean, that would solve all the problems right there.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

It would likely cause problems for the Utah House because it might force them to actually do their jobs instead of fixate on culture war bullshit.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

gay bars are light years ahead of everywhere else on this issue. there are two bathrooms. you pick one, go in, do your business, and hopefully wash your hands. and if you cause trouble you get your ass kicked because it's not cool with anyone.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago

As always, the Republicans focused on the important stuff.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 10 months ago

Oh I just read an article about a pastor getting into trouble for helping the homeless. Now I get to read an article about the Mormo--sorry Utah government using it's power to attack the LGBT for existing. This is more aligned with my preconceived notions about Christianity.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago

Well, all 6 transgendered people in Utah gets fucked.

Congrats you fucking backwards ass state for spending so many resources ensuring you punish a handful of people and leaving school children, vets, homeless, and other people to die.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago

Oh good. SLC is full of homeless folks struggling to survive, I’m glad our government is doing the important work to make sure bathrooms are safe.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

The Supreme Court told Indiana they weren't going to hear such bullshit.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-supreme-court-snubs-fight-over-transgender-student-bathroom-access-2024-01-16/

I know that case was about schools, but it doesn't look like SCOTUS would care to hear this one either. In other words, if a lower court shoots this down, SCOTUS might say, "Not going to hear it. Lower court's ruling stands."

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

When they say taxpayer funded do they mean state buildings? Under federal law this is discrimination and couldn't apply to federal buildings.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

while existing ones must be studied to assess “the feasibility of retrofitting or remodeling” facilities to improve privacy.

Well that's a nice silver lining...

[–] [email protected] 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

improve privacy

But we'll have to check your birth certificate and genitals upon entry

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

Fair point...

Ya know, in '94 I was stationed in Korea, they had bars off base that catered to us military, and they had "juicy girls", which were basically just women who went around looking for simps to buy them an orange juice for $20 (and they were pretty successful at it).

Anyways, most of the bars had one bathroom. You'd go in there and use the urinal and occasionally one of the girls would walk right in and use the stall.

It was weird as hell, but only once... After the initial "wtf" time, it was just meh, whatever, the OB beer's cheap enough :)

It's not actually that serious...

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

The first amendment is getting torn to shreds

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