Gianna Perez

Professor Kairis
English Composition 101
14 December 2015
Cover Letter
I found this paper difficult for me to write. Event though I have resources to use and
information for my paper I just wasnt sure how to go about writing it when it came time for me
to actual put my thoughts onto the paper. I think that I should have maybe picked a more talked
about topic that I know I could have done extensive research on and that I already had a lot of
ideas about. I liked my paragraphs that argued the opposing views and the way that I handled
those views in relation to my topic. I think that the next time I have to write something like this I
need to really get a head start early and maybe go to the writing center for help.

Gianna Perez
Professor Kairis
English Composition 101
9 December 2015
The Restroom Situation
Most people do not even give a second thought to what gender restroom they walk into
when they have to use the bathroom. Sure, sometimes by mistake they walk into the opposite
genders bathroom and then feel embarrassed about it for a few minutes. Unfortunately that is not
the same for the transgender community. All around the country this conversation is being had
and it seems that we are getting nowhere with it. Right now one of the biggest controversies of
this day and age is which restroom a transgender person should use, their anatomical or the
gender they identify with? There are those who are opposed to letting these people pick the

restroom that they use and in this article their views will be discussed. To me however, the
answer is simple, but to some other it is not so clear to them. Transgender people should have the
same rights that we do and should be allowed to use whatever restroom they feel comfortable in.
People are people, no matter what gender they are biologically or what one they identify
with. So to say that these people cannot have the same rights as the rest of us is just wrong. In
her article featured in The Atlantic, Alia Wong talks about how there are children all over the
country as young as 16 years old that are suing their state school boards because they feel they
are being discriminated against. All of these children are correct in feeling that way because they
are being treated like they do not have the same rights as the rest of us do. According to our
Constitution they have rights too even if certain people do not want to see it that way. The U.S.
Department of Education has made it clear that Title IX applies to transgender people as well as
has even gone so far as to file statements in support of those files the suits (Wong). This is a big
statement against those who disagree with the transgender communitys rights. This is the
government saying that they support the people who should have equal rights under the
Constitution like the rest of us do. This in itself could be a huge step for this movement because
this our government that is taking a side. It is saying that these people are like the rest of us and
should be treated as such. This is a big win for the transgender community and just shows why
this is a controversial issue but not it is being talked about everywhere.
Another reason that these people should be allowed to use the restroom of their choice is
because transgender people have it rough enough. These people have so many obstacles in the
way of their happiness, why should anyone throw another hurdle to jump over at them? Not only
do they not feel comfortable in the body that they were born in, but they also tend to suffer from
depression because of it. The total amount of transgender people that suffer from depression is

anywhere between 48-62% (Davy). There is no hard evidence as to why that is but there is
speculation from intellects on the subject. They say that gender-abuse, transphobia, ostracism,
discrimination, violence and lack of social support may have something to do with it (Davy).
Now please ask yourselves, do you really want to be part of the epidemic that causes the spread
of depression among these people? If not for anything else these people should have the right to
use the bathroom of their choice because a lot of them feel like they do not have much else. If we
let them have a choice them maybe this will be a step in the right direction when it comes to the
LGBT Movement.
Some of those people who oppose letting transgenders choose their preferred bathroom
freely believe that these people suffer from a mental illness and that should disallow them to be
able to make decisions such as that above. That statement in itself is wrong because there are
people all over the U.S. that suffer from mental illnesses such as Bipolar Disorder and
Schizophrenia that as long as they abide by the doctors orders are perfectly healthy people. If
those severe diseases dont stop said people from making decisions, than something like being
transgender certainly should not stop them from deciding what restroom to use. According to the
DSM being a transgender in the psychological sense was originally referred to as Gender Identity
Disorder and now the name has been changed to Gender Dysphoria (Budge). This change has
occurred because being a transgender is no longer looked at as being a disorder so much as to
clarify the distress that occurs when their gender identity and biology do not match up (Budge).
All of this means that being a transgender is no longer looked at like having a disorder. So the
argument that these people have a mental illness is sort of invalid in a sense. These people may
experience confusion about their gender identity but that has nothing to do with them not being
able to choose what restroom they feel comfortable using.

There is also the argument that if a transgender uses the bathroom of the opposite sex that
it may make those using the bathroom uncomfortable. This argument has some validity to it
because the majority of people against the argument of this article feel this way. Now in certain
situations this makes more sense than others. When it comes to bathrooms in schools K-12 I can
understand that the worry of our little ones not feeling comfortable is a serious worry among
parents. In addition, some parents feel that they do not want their children exposed to things
like this too early in their childhood. The reality is however that while understanding the
concerns of these parents, there are ways to let both parties be happy. In all restrooms, male or
female, there are stalls in which you can go about your business privately and away from
anyones eyes. This should console the parents that do not want their children seeing anything
before due time, while still letting transgender people choose the restroom with which they feel
comfortable. So in the end there should be no worry when it comes to people being
uncomfortable with transgender people using a restroom because everyone can go about their
business with out others judging or seeing anything they do not want to see.

Works Cited
Budge, Stephanie L., Jill L. Adelson, and Kimberly A. Howard. "Anxiety and Depression in
Transgender Individuals: The Roles of Transition Status, Loss, Social Support and
Coping." Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 81 (2013): 545-57. Ovid. Web.
10 Dec. 2015.
Davy, Zowie. "The DSM-5 and the Politics of Diagnosing Transpeople." Archives of Sexual
Behavior 44.5 (2015): 1165-176. Springer Link. Web. 10 Dec. 2015.
Wong, Alia. "The K-12 Binary." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 09 July 2015. Web. 10
Dec. 2015.