GOP cosponsor of anti-trans bathroom bill is a danger to ‘unsuspecting women’, probe finds

[Pharaoh]

Source: Rawstory

A Republican state lawmaker in Tennessee who is pushing to strip transgender people of bathroom rights has been found to be a danger to “unsuspecting women.”

Last week, Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell exiled state Rep. Jeremy Durham from his offices at the War Memorial Building and limited his access to other areas after Attorney General Herbert Slatery issued a warning that the lawmaker’s behavior posed “a continuing risk to unsuspecting women who are employed by or interact with the legislature.”

Slatery’s office is leading an investigation into multiple sexual harassment complaints against Durham. Although the investigation is not complete, Slatery said that the warning was necessary because of information learned during interviews with 34 different women.

“With few exceptions, the women who related incidents felt they could not report Representative Durham’s behavior because nothing could be done and they did not want to lose their jobs or be considered ‘untrustworthy’ by employers, clients or legislators,” the letter said.

According to the report, women said that they “avoid or refuse to be alone with Representative Durham, a situation which has affected their ability to perform their jobs.”

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/2016/04/gop-cosponsor-of-anti-trans-bathroom-bill-is-a-danger-to-unsuspecting-women-probe-finds/

[truthisfreedom]

1. Hahahahahaaaaaaaa.

Republican family values strike again.

[blue neen]

2. Of course.

It just figures.

[FailureToCommunicate]

3. Maybe he'll soon learn more about this kind of bathroom...

[Thespian2]

4. The idiots pushing such legislation

are too ignorant to understand a simple possibility...a transgender female could look very much like a man...what happens when this transgender female is forced to enter the toilet set aside for females? She/he will probably scare the shit out of any female in the room...because they will believe that a male has entered their private space...

[csziggy]

8. It doesn't have to be a transgendered person to cause panic

Just someone who doesn't fit some preconceived notion of what gender appropriate hair style and clothing:

Lawsuit: Fishbone's mistakes woman for man, ejects her
Katrease Stafford, Detroit Free Press 3:27 p.m. EDT June 11, 2015
A woman who says she was mistaken for a man while trying to use the women's restroom at Fishbone's Rhythm Kitchen Cafe in January has filed a lawsuit against the Detroit eatery, claiming she was injured when a security officer physically ejected her from the restaurant.

Detroit resident Cortney Bogorad said in the lawsuit filed Wednesday in Wayne County Circuit Court that the incident happened about 11 p.m. on Jan. 23 after she and some of her friends ate dinner at Fishbone's in Greektown.

<SNIP>

Bogorad said after she paid for her food, she went to use the women's restroom prior to leaving the restaurant, and while she was in the bathroom, she heard someone shout: "Whatever man is in the restroom, come out now!"

<SNIP>

According to the lawsuit, Bogorad continued to use the restroom and ignored the shouting because she wasn't sure who was being addressed. Moments later, a man, who Bogorad believes was a security guard, entered the restroom and again shouted, "This is a woman's bathroom, if you are a man, come out!"

More: http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2015/06/11/fishbones-lawsuit-filed/71056630/

Previously posted at http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027753930 with quotes from a different source.

[Thespian2]

12. Thanks...

This story shows just how inhuman this legislation will be...if the authorities ever figure a way to enforce such laws...

[Crash2Parties]

19. Pardon, but you have your terminology backward

Under the assumption of a sex/gender binary (which let's face it is just a generalization):

A transgender woman is a woman who was assigned "Male" at birth but identifies as a woman and (hopefully) lives a such.
A transgender man is a man who was assigned "Female" at birth but identifies as a man and (hopefully) lives a such.

It's a trans man who - after taking testosterone - would appear very male with a lower voice, facial hair, male pattern baldness, and if he works out bigger muscles. Under these laws, he is now forced to use the woman's room.

Don't feel bad, I have a trans daughter and am exceedingly well versed and I *still* occasionally get things wrong or backwards. I blame it on being raised by conservative Christians.

[Skittles]

22. you're awesome

[Thespian2]

23. Thank you...

I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out how to say what was important to me...I was raised by a fundamentalist Baptist minister in the segregated south...I didn't believe as he did when I was growing up...certainly do not now...sorry about my mistake...

[Skittles]

5. cracks me up when repukes have to pretend they care about women

because they're too chickenshit to admit they are transphobes

[Crash2Parties]

20. Transphobia is actually a mysogyny corellary

It's all about maintaining that god-ordained male superiority - trans people show that the assumed rigid black and white line between man and woman is not always as rigid as conservatives try to make it.

[Skittles]

21. you are correct

yes INDEED

[rpannier]

6. Not surprised in the least

Don't know why, I mean a Republican engaged in questionable behavior

[BlancheSplanchnik]

7. So a POS repuke is projecting his own creepy, non-consensual predilections

Onto the GLBT community?

Nooooo Waaaay! You're kiddin me!

[YoungDemCA]

11. Hey, look on the bright side.

Last edited Thu Apr 14, 2016, 10:34 AM - Edit history (1)

It only took 34 women filing complaints against this POS for action to be taken here. We've been making some definite progress since the Bill Cosby fiasco.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

14. True!

And it took less than 60 years, too.

Wow! Yay for progress! /sarcasm

[Pharaoh]

9. Don't you love when in the title

they say he is being probed

[libdem4life]

24. OMG...You went there.

[YoungDemCA]

10. Sounds like he has some expertise regarding sexual harrassment of women

Takes one to know one, I suppose?

[vkkv]

13. Figures... eom

[Hekate]

15. I assume this means the Legislature is withdrawing his bill posthaste?

[NCjack]

16. Hoping for a similar finding about Gov. McCroy (NC-R). /nt

[Myrina]

17. Dude sounds creepy as fuck. Can he be recalled?

Obviously unfit for office if he's such a perv he's banned from half the buildings.

[Initech]

18. Holy crap, they are chasing an invisible boogeyman here.

[Eleanors38]

25. I kid you not. It's that bathroom smell what turns on these GOPers...

...every time one of 'em hears someone booming away in the john, they come a runnin', like bears to the sound of a rifle shot. I honestly don't think gender is the main concern: the sturm und drang of the porcelain facility is necessary for them to get things going, you know, down there. They would teem like eels if they passed near the Putnam County Courthouse crapper in Palatka, FL. Especially on a July day.