Illinois House passes gay rights bill

[CornField]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Illinois%20Gay%20Rights

The Illinois House on Tuesday passed a bill that bans discrimination against gays and sent it to Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who has said he supports the measure.

If the Democratic governor signs it, Illinois will join 14 other states that bar discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The measure would add "sexual orientation" to the state law that protects people from bias based on race, religion and similar traits. It applies to discrimination in such areas as jobs and housing.

Opponents argued it would lead to approval of gay marriage and allow cross-dressers to use rest rooms of the opposite sex.

[terrya]

1. It passed the Senate??

The House wasn't the stumbling block...the Senate was.

Geez...incredible.

T

[Inland]

11. Already passed the Senate.

just this morning the talk was the difficulty it would have in the House. That was quick.

[Downtown Hound]

2. Hooray for Illinois!

I got a real kick about the "it would lead to approval of gay marriage and allow cross dressers to use the rest rooms of the opposite sex." What a lame excuse.

[sui generis]

3. ooooh, scary

cross dressers. There are so many of them everywhere.

Oh let's rewrite this:

The measure would add "race" to the state law that protects people from bias based on sexual discrimination, religion and similar traits. It applies to discrimination in such areas as jobs and housing.

Opponents argued it would lead to approval of interracial marriage and allow minorities to use rest rooms reserved for whites.

[AnnInLa]

4. Oh No, do you think they'll be able to use the same water fountains too??

n/t

[Ian David]

5. Gay rights good. Gay Marriage good. Cross dressers in restrooms, well...

The problem is, the fundies do not distinguish between transgendered and cross-dressers.

Their familiarity with things medical and scientific is limited.

You start talking about chromosomes and things, and their eyes glaze over in confusion and then they get red in the face and start talking about "the bible" and how "the bible" says nothing about chromosomes and DNA and hormones.

The fundies wrongly see transgendered people as just perverts with an obsession for dress-up.

Anyway, here is my personal feelings on the matter, but I am flexible enough to be persuaded without the need to be flamed.

Women have a legitimate need to be protected from penises.

I am all in favor of someone being or dressing as whatever gender they are born as or even choose to become or feel they are meant to be.

I have no problem, as a man, with people of either gender using my restroom, so long as they flush and don't pee on the seat.

However, a woman alone in a restroom has a right and a legitimate need to be free from the special dangers posed to her by penises.

Just look at how many women-- as compared to men-- are raped by men?

How many women are raped by women-- as opposed to being raped by men?

It's darned difficult for a man to be raped by someone who does not have a penis. It happens, but it's difficult. I have never been afraid of a vagina in my life (unless it was one I regretted inviting into my bed).

Vaginas should be welcome to visit any restroom they so choose.

But penises should be kept of the ladies rooms.

I mean no disrespect to our transgendered friends. And I am in no way implying a belief that transgendered people have a desire to rape people. Nor am I saying that anyone with a penis has a desire to rape people.

Remember, penises don't rape people. People rape people. But it's really hard to rape someone unless you are one of those people who also have a penis.

If a transgendered person has had their penis removed (or never had a penis) then I say offer them which ever bathroom they feel most comfortable in.

It's nothing against them personally, and it is not to invalidate their identity.

I just say that because human kind has shown a tendency to be irresponsible in our use of penises, and those who have vaginas have good reason to be leery of penises.

Always treat every penis as if it is loaded.

On-edit:
But how do we deal with drunken college kids who put on dresses to hang-out in the ladies room?

Does this law even effect about restrooms, or are the fundies just blowing smoke about that?

[Robert Oak]

6. American restrooms suck here's a practical fix

In Europe each toliet is basically a little room, with a door that
locks.

This wouldn't be an issue if the US just gave people privacy in order to pee.

Forget cross dressers, I don't like anybody being able to peer under the door or see through a crack in the door what the hell I am doing
in the john...or hear it either.

If the US got some real bathrooms we wouldn't have a problem.,..


and that goes for those crappy fixed shower heads too! Europe
always gives shower heads that you can move, remove from the stand
and so forth.

[Inland]

13. Problem with American restrooms is that too filthy for anyone to use

I was in the basement restroom of the state of Illinois building in Chicago, mens, and leaving passed by a group of tourists, seemingly German. I was so ashamed. Public building, public restaurants, and my shoes stick to the mens room floor.

[RaRa]

7. As a woman I agree mostly

with your statement. Personally, I wouldn't mind a transgendered person in the ladies room. I respect their identity as a woman (in such a case); penis or no penis. But the crose dresser, well that's icky. This is someone who sees himself and is a man.

But hooray for my state's government!

[Ian David]

12. Crossdressers can be women, too!

Yes, there are women who "cross-dress" as men.

Anyway, I said that the fundies fail to differentiate between cross-dressers and transgendered folks. When they say the law may allow cross-dressers to use the ladies room, they are being disingenuous.

The fundies make no distinction, and they use that to create fear.

And as for having more private "european-style" restrooms, I think the fear is that if they are too private, people will have sex in them and homeless people will sleep in them.

[davidinalameda]

8. is this post serious

or did you get a hold of some really good crack and smoke a big bowl of it?

[2Design]

10. scare tactics - just like ERA - fear of women in miltary -

we didn't not get rights we deserve and women are now in the miltary - all of our rights are being taken away - people didn't think we need ERA - I now see how much we did need it and more so now than even 25 years ago. - women don't realize how much the rw cult is doing to this country and our rights

[peacebird]

14. in some areas in Europe there is one restroom for all

frequently in France I would walk past the urinals to get to the stall (being a woman) and I must admit it felt a bit awkward at first but then it sort of dawned on me that the only one who felt awkward was ME.

they didn't look at me as I passed, I didn't check them out either. Truly a non-problem in reality.

Amazing how less prudish countries can actually accept and deal with these things, it really was no problem at all.

[renaissanceguy]

9. Hooray!

It's refreshing to see some GOOD news for once!


http://www.cafepress.com/liberalissues.15841622

[Gemini Cat]

15. Good for Illinois!

I wish Indiana would follow. Actually, I wish the rest of the country would seriously wake up.

[UCLA Dem]

16. can have those cross-dressers using the wrong restroom now can we??

our kids are dying in iraq and they're worried about cross-dressers using restroom??

:wtf:

[darkism]

17. Beaming with pride here in IL

I love my state :D

[Skidmore]

18. So will Alan Keyes move back east now? nt

[terrya]

19. A lot of people worked very hard to help pass it. But one in particular...

Rick Garcia, head of Equality Illinois, deserves special thanks. Rick Garcia has tirelesly worked for passage of this great, important law.

Thank you, Rick Garcia. :-)

T

[xchrom]

20. right on! illinois!

that is just awesome!
i can't believe it -- i'm from there -- and never in a hundred yeaars would i believe that could happen. woo-hoo!

[Stepup2]

21. way to go

Illinois! :bounce:

[Maat]

22. Go Illinois!

And I agree that we should just have unisex restrooms or family restrooms - little rooms with doors. That would be fine by me. We now have family restrooms throughout California, and frankly, since my 8-year-old insists that I be her personal bodyguard, it helps to have a big room (I'm Mom, and she's daughter). She just gets creeped out being alone because she has heard stories about kid-grabs and all. The family restrooms are very popular, and everything seems to be working well there.

As an aside, I always told the dads to take their daughters into the guys' restroom if they had to, and moms to take sons into the ladies if they had to (parent standing outside the stall, if age appropriate), as a social worker, because, tragically, I was called to do general assist at the scene of a few kidnappings. It only takes a split-second.