Simply put, I agree with the premise that a transgender person should be able to go int the bathroom they identify themselves with. However, I do believe that the issue is more complex that most people realize and I can still understand the trepidation behind it.
There are those in the world that are concerned about allowing transgender individuals to access their preferred bathroom. These concerns range based off a number of topics, with the front runner being increased potential for sexual assault. Some parents may be concerned about their children's safety in the presence of public bathrooms, say at a public park or grocery store. I can understand this concern and I believe that these parents are doing right by their children by being concerned for their well-being.
However, I believe that this concern lacks a strong basis for argument formation. Let's examine the classic scenario that news shows and political panels love to recycle over and over again. Say we have a woman (or little girl) using the restroom in a grocery store. Suddenly, a big scary, neck-bearded man (because it's always a man in these hypothetical situations; people often seem to forget that women can sexually assault people too) walks in uninterrupted. Sexual assault ensues. How did this happen? Why the man is a pervert and exploited transgender access of course!
Okay. So this is the standard argument made by a sizable amount of concerned individuals. While its intentions seem to be for the best (protecting people from sexual assault by the opposite sex), it is also filled with over generalizations and error. I'm sure there are those who might take advantage of such a right. They are criminals and deserve the repercussions. However, these instances are few and far between. And it is their actions that are going on to ruin opportunities for legitimately transgender individuals.
First thing to consider, and I've written about this before, is that not every transgender person is easy to identify. Case in point, this guy:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRealJazzBertieWith that in mind, imagine a biologically born female who looks like a man, talks like a man, and acts like a man, walking into a female bathroom. You would have no idea by looking at them that they were biologically female. In fact you might feel a bit uncomfortable by their presence and wonder why a man is in the women's restroom.
This is the case that people don't often consider. Perhaps it's because of Caitlyn Jenner or Adam Sandler movies, but society tends to associate transgender people as hairy, fishnet-wearing, overweight guys that get a kick out of dressing up like girls. And this is just simply not the case. Many people make it their life's mission to transition to the opposite gender, and many end up passing as that gender altogether. Granted, not every case ends up like this, but the more fortunate ones do.
Next, even if an equal access law is barred, or, in the case of Oklahoma, an anti-transgender bathroom law is put into effect, how would one go about enforcing it? Ever since states started passing these bills, people have been asking government and local law enforcement how such a law would be enforced. And, somewhat unsurprisingly, nobody has an answer.
It's a difficult concept because, if you remember, one cannot always identify a transgender person. There are plenty of people who have long been passing as their desired gender and will continue to do so. And they're not going to throw away their reputation as their desired gender by going into the "right" bathroom and outing themselves in accordance with what's on their ID.
So, now what do you do? Dispatch police to every bathroom in the country so that they can wait outside and check ID? Is taking a piss going to require the same hassle as ordering an alcoholic beverage at a bar? Do you put automated security systems on doors that read your ID, scan your genitalia, and only open if you match? No, I don't think so. There is no practical way to implement a system that bars transgender people using the bathroom they want. So it seems to me that this whole scene is nothing more than a bunch of politician taking a principle stand by saying "No, we don't agree with this, and we're going to be very adamant about the fact that we don't agree with this."
Honestly, I just think that things were much simpler before this was brought into the public eye. If you identified as a man or woman, you went into that bathroom and that was the end of it. But now it's the public eye and government has become involved, so it would seem that it needs to be addressed. Where we go from here is up to the people's will.
There is only one God, and his name is Death. And there is only one thing we say to Death: Not today.