Everyone can recognise Donald Trump as a man with views towards the far right of politics, with his attitudes towards race and women. In fact, most of his views transcend that of the average US conservative to be what the majority of the population consider to be discriminative. However, his recent comments about transgender people and the use of bathrooms is oddly contrary to his usual comments and potential policies.
Transgender people and public bathrooms has always been, and continues to be, a problem. Binary transgender people often feel that they can’t visit the bathroom of their gender because they will face abuse from CIS people of that gender. Actually, transgender person in the BBC Three video ‘Things Not To Say To a Trans Person’ expresses that they simply never use bathrooms in public, assumingly for fear or anxiety of discrimination. Similarly, non-binary trans people often feel uncomfortable in either the ‘male’ or ‘female’ public bathrooms because they don’t fit either of those terms, or for multiple or alternative reasons. Minimal action has been taken against this around the world – mostly, ideas have been presented and then rejected. For example, a number of public institutions were considering putting a ‘trans friendly’ sign on a disabled toilet for people who weren’t comfortable with using other toilets. This concept was quickly cast out because it would perhaps subtly imply that being trans means you’re ‘lesser’ than others, and at an extreme, that it could be interpreted as saying being trans is a ‘disability’ (although naturally, people with disabilities are not lesser than those without them).
Due to the fact that transgender people and bathrooms often brings the idea or actual event of prejudice, it appears to go against Donald Trump’s political pattern to actually express a ‘politically correct’ statement about it.
When addressed with the current controversy North Carolina is causing over transgender people and their right to whichever public bathroom they want to use, Trump stated, “North Carolina, what they are going through with all of the business that’s leaving and the strife– and that’s on both sides. Leave it the way it is. There have been very few complaints the way it is. People go, they use the bathroom that they feel is appropriate, there has been so little trouble.”
The Presidential candidate also clarified that although he was not certain, he thought it was likely that there were transgender people working for him.
Following these statements, Trump responded to the question, “So if Caitlyn Jenner were to walk into Trump Tower and want to use the bathroom, you’d be fine with her using any bathroom she chooses?” with, “That is correct.”
Finally, with regard to introducing new kinds of bathrooms, the candidate offered that he didn’t support the idea, claiming, “I think that would be discriminatory in a certain way.”
Although it is uncharacteristic of Trump, he is politically correct in his views here: what is widely believed by the trans community and others is that the trans community should, indeed, have the right to decide which bathroom they feel is more ‘appropriate’ and comfortable for use.
Personally, if I had the option, I still wouldn’t vote for Trump as president of the United States… but if he’s capable of expressing comments of this variety once, there’s a chance he could produce more of them in the future.
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