Human rights are something many take for granted, and I can’t blame them, because human rights should be applied to all people no matter what. However, This isn’t always the case. Sometimes, people think that a certain characteristic of a person makes them inferior, and therefore unworthy of being treated fairly. Not only is that assumption absolutely outrageous, it just completely lacks any form of common sense.
Human rights are for all. There are women and men all over the world who aren’t permitted to use the public restrooms that correspond with their gender. That doesn’t sound right, does it? It’s because these people are transgender. People in positions of authority feel justified in their discrimination because they are not properly educated on the subject of gender identity. Many people were taught that sex and gender were the same thing. In reality, they couldn’t be more different, sex refers to your genitals; your sex is assigned at birth. Gender, on the other hand, refers to how you identify, it has to do with your feelings. For example, imagine if you were born in the wrong body, you are a girl but you were born a male. Wouldn’t you want to be able to change your outward appearance to fit the real you? Doesn’t everyone deserve to be comfortable in their own skin? I think so. Yet people are still discriminated against, it’s wrong and it needs to stop. If you have a conscience, even if it’s very small, you should be outraged at the idea of people being treated as anything less than human.
Thankfully, there is something being done about it. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, there are at least 200 cities and counties that have passed laws prohibiting gender identity discrimination, among these are Atlanta, Austin, Boise, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Dallas, El Paso, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Louisville, Milwaukee, New Orleans, NYC, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, and San Antonio, to name a few. There are also places that have specific regulations to protect transgender people when they use a restroom consistent with their gender identity. However, in 2013, a transgender woman was informed by the police that she was not welcome in a Dallas supermarket for the next year because she had used the women’s restroom there. So, while conditions are improving, there’s still so much more left to be accomplished.
I assume you’re wondering by now how we can possibly mend our twisted society. If so, I have some fantastic news for you. There’s an easy solution, and it’s completely free! If we can all be properly educated on gender identity, if people can stop teaching hate, if we can all let go of our old beliefs, and open up our minds to something new, we can solve our problem. It doesn’t cost you anything to treat other people like human beings. All we have to do is be educated, do a little research, ask a couple of questions, you can make a difference! I can guarantee that a small effort on your part can mean the world to someone else. Human rights are for all humans, to me, it’s pretty self-explanatory. There is so much discrimination in the world, so much hate, and violence. There is certainly no need for any more than we already have. So, let’s treat everybody equally, after all, the word transgender is just an adjective.
