The anti-LGBTQ community has found a wedge issue that may divide the LGBTQ community and thus make it more susceptible to religious freedom laws designed to rollback our gains.
The wedge issue deals with Transgender people having access to bathrooms. This issue is a cover to add discrimination to all LGBTQ people in public accommodations. Its more than bathrooms and more than just "T" people..See video below. Look at what HB2 in North Carolina allows.
One of the largest backers of the LGBT agenda, the Gill Foundation, cut off the ACLU because of their unfaltering backing of laws regarding transgender people’s access to public accommodations. The timing of this couldn’t be worse as the case involving Gavin Grimm, the 17-year-old Glouster high school student, will be ruled on by the Supreme Court in 2017.
The Gill Foundation writes over 6 million dollars ins annual grants to LGBTQ groups They have put other LGBT groups on notice too. If they don’t adhere to their policy of accepting transgender legislation without public accommodations in instances they deem necessary, they too will be cut off.
After winning marriage equality in 2015, many of pro-LGBTQ groups envisioned passing LGBT nondiscrimination laws nationwide — but they hit roadblocks.
Conservatives have successfully argued those policies would let transgender people prey on girls in bathrooms. This has become a winning argument. It was used in Houston, TX and of course in North Carolina and Mississippi. Thankfully these laws were defeated in most states (link to all 50 states).
But they will be back. The wedge issue "compromise" is that discrimination in housing and employment is bad, but public accommodations is OK for now as long as its Transgender people.
While the LGBTQ community splits over this issue, anti-LGBTQ forces will push to expand public accommodation discrimination to include the rest of the community, using the bathroom issue as a cover (i.e. North Carolina)
We can not let part of the LGBQ community throw us under the bus. They do not know it yet, but they will soon join us under that bus. This is a long-term play.
They think with this compromise, they will be accepted by the conservative groups. I doubt it, but if they are, it will only be temporary, until the LGBQ community is weak enough to lose public accommodations for same-sex couples.
This is just what happened in the late 1800's when separate but equal allowed for the creation of Jim Crow laws. It took over 30 years for Jim Crow laws to be fully implemented. So the laws aground marriage equlity will occur over decades. This bathroom issue is just the beginning.
What to do now.
Email the Gill Foundation
Donate to ACLU for supporting transgender rights
Use social networks to comment against "bathroom laws"
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