No, I won’t boycott Target or sign your petition

As opinionated as I am, I usually stay quiet on divisive and controversial debates because it’s time consuming and quite frankly I’d rather read a book or cuddle my kids.

But seeing the recent uproars, petitions and threat to boycott Target over the transgender bathroom issue I was upset enough to speak up. But since I don’t want to lose hours/days/weeks sucked into a Facebook debate about why I won’t sign the petition people keep sending me I’d rather rant on my virtual home where I can get it off my chest and then go back to my regularly scheduled programming.

Predators and perverts don’t need a law to give them “permission” to enter a women’s bathroom. They have never cared about the laws and it has never stopped them from going in if they wanted to. Using the “I identify as female excuse” goes only as far as peeing, pooping and washing hands and it doesn’t give them permission to harrass or assault someone so no, the stores/the government aren’t telling them it’s ok to hurt you or your kids.

In my freshman year of college I shared a bathroom with a man that identified as a woman and I was less threatened by him that by some of the biological females that used the restroom. As the semester progressed I became friendly with her (as she requested to be identified) and was told horrifying stories of the abuse, bullying and sexual assault that she had endured when forced to use the mens restroom when in high school.

They are people too, they have a right to pee in peace as well.

I once had a man barge in to the women’s bathroom at a public venue that I was using and tried to expose himself while making lewd comments. The law back then didn’t give him any excuse whatsoever to enter the restroom and yet he still did it. Did I blame the law? Did I allow myself to be a victim and just cried about it? No! I kicked him in the balls and sprayed his face with tear gas before reporting him to management to call the police.

Worried about your kids? Go to the bathroom with them, educate them on what they can do to defend themselves. Worried about your safety when going to the restroom? Learn situational awareness, take a self defense class, arm yourself, don’t be passive waiting to become an easy victim.

Remember, predators, rapists and creepers can be any gender. Only law abiding citizens follow the law and they are not who you have to worry about.