Report Inappropriate Comments

Stacia Huyler:

First and foremost, you deleted something along the lines of 1200-1400 comments and banned the commenters in an effort to eliminate support for Ashlynn as well as silence the overwhelming opposition you were facing. You really can't talk about being open for debate when you consistently delete opposing voices and immediately try to dismiss all of it by saying that they were personal attacks. It had absolutely nothing to do with "accusations of bigotry, hate, foul language, threats, and accusations of bullying." If you don't want to be called a bigot, don't say bigoted things. If you don't want to be called a bully, then don't be a bully.

You say you're standing up for the privacy, safety, and security of girls who are uncomfortable. (See: Concern Trolling) But the fact is that the rights of these girls hasn't been infringed on and this isn't a new policy, they've been in place for years. None of the girls your attempting to defend have been displaced or forced out of the bathroom or locker room. They've even been offered other accommodations in the event that they feel uncomfortable. That offer was also extended to LGBTQ students. The fact is that rights don't get outweighed by the discomforts of others and this discussion sounds almost exactly like the discussions that were had over 50 years ago regarding segregation of racial minorities...all the way down to a lot of the "separate but equal facilities" statements that have been made. The reality is that rights in this country are there to protect individuals and vulnerable minorities from the discomforts, insecurities, and feelings of the majority. The argument that the safety and rights of transgender individuals are secondary to those of the general public is a losing one that has been struck down repeatedly over the years by the Supreme Court.

Your arguments against Title IX and local/state regulations are also losing arguments. I'm not sure why you think those laws don't or shouldn't apply. If you receive one penny of public funding, those regulations apply. There's really no argument to be made there. And again, I'd like to point out that those regulations are not new. It's been well established that, in public schools in the state of Rhode Island, students have a right to use bathrooms that are congruent with their gender identity.

Your arguments that these didn't go through the "proper channels" is also a losing argument. It absolutely went through the proper channels. If people decided it wasn't worth their attention, that's their own fault because at the end of the day...it all went through the correct process to become policy.

Transgender women are women. Transgender men are men. Saying that these things need to be debated is honestly insulting to members of the LGBTQ community whose existences are constantly being debated by those who want to invalidate and police their existence. I'll be blunt. You have no right or authority in these matters. I exist regardless of what you think and I have a right to use the appropriate public facilities and accommodations that are in line with my identity. And all of that without the fear of being harassed or assaulted. "Debating" all of that does nothing but further agendas that wish to roll back rights which have been fought for over the past 40+ years. Not only that, but when you reach a point where the AMA and APA (and the vast majority of healthcare professionals regulated by them) agree that being transgender isn't a mental illness and they deserve to have their identity respected as everyday people? It's time to put the "debate" to bed and tell people to deal with their discomforts. They can either learn to grow as people or they'll live out their final days in a dwindling population of people standing on the wrong side of history.

Sincerely,

Remi