This is a letter the Gavel Staff received from senior Business Careers student Damon Mershon titled “Beauty in the Soul & Strength in the Heart.” Letters to the editor are encouraged and may be submitted via email to matthew.singleton@nisd.net, or presented in person to room A102d. The staff reserves the right to edit all letters for length and/or libelous content. All letters must be signed. Here is Mershon’s letter, presented in full:
Respect is one of the most crucial and fundamental standards our schools and government have set forth for all individuals. Yet in America, “home of the free”, we harbor discrimination and unequal issuance of civil rights. Not only the LGBT community, but transgenders have been the main target in the recent proceedings of state governments with the attempt to enforce discrimination laws. Recently, the states of Texas, Kentucky, and Virginia have proposed a “bathroom bill” which requires individuals in government owned buildings to use bathrooms pertaining to their biological sex.
Texas, specifically, is seeking to legalize this bill to enforce discrimination in the lands of Texas. Conservative individuals have utilized the pretext of the potential for “sexual predation” and are addressing the bill as a women’s issue labeling the bill “The Women’s Privacy Act”. To myself and others in the LGBT community, this bill is morally repugnant and is prejudicial to all those affected. Our federal legislature have failed to uphold their civil duty to protect every single individual in our country. By attempting to enforce this prejudicial law, Texas lawmakers are doing more damage than protection. Texas has continued to dispute that its intentions are not to discriminate against the transgender community, but they have been unable to issue civil protections for the LGBT community over many years.
Texas is known as a conservative right-wing state. Regardless if you are a Democrat or a Republican, respect shall be upheld to the highest standard in our country, especially the U.S. being a world leader. The founding fathers established our country on the basis of freedom, religious freedom, and the pursuit of happiness. Yet, the U.S. has failed to uphold the basic principle of freedom by not offering the same rights to all individuals and by violating the principle of the pursuit of happiness by restricting an individual’s right to choose their lifestyle.
Texas’ label of their new “bathroom bill” is not only discriminatory on the basis of sexual identification, but also on the basis of sex. Texas is labeling it’s bill as the “Women’s Privacy Act” which should be in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which outlaws discrimination on sex. If they are trying to ensure “the safety” of our society why aren’t both genders listed under this privacy act? Regardless, the public is failing to realize that the state government can protect both individuals from sexual predators, but also protect transgender individuals by offering necessary accommodations.
According to www.mediamatters.org Texas is attempting to implement this discrimination bill in 2017, while Vermont instituted an anti-discrimination bill in 2001 and has said they have seen no increase in sexual crimes or sexual predators. Maine illustrated their support as well for anti-discrimination illustrating that there is “no factual basis” for sexual assault fears. Oregon has stated “Zero Allegations” of bathroom sexual assault from their anti-discrimination perspective. Nevada has reported there has been no problems since the passage of a 2011 law. Rhode Island stated there has been no increase in sex crimes due to 2001 law. Texas’ discriminatory views which are harbored by older conservative individuals, are failing to realize how our country is continuing to evolve and we are a very diverse country.
Instead of believing mass hysteria or simply ostracizing individuals on a groundless claim of “a safety threat”, we should take these issues head on and address them in a progressive respectful manner. Transgenders undergo multiple challenges within themselves, and within their community. They are not things, sexual predators, or weird, they’re human beings. A living breathing individual, with emotional feelings just like every single person on this earth.
I am so disgusted at the fact that a government entity could allow such discrimination on a broad scale. If safety mattered that much to our government, why aren’t they ensuring the safety for the LGBT community and instituting laws to protect individuals from discrimination. Yet, we fund our legislator to come up with laws that do not unite us, rather segregate and discriminate against people. As Attorney Loretta Lynch stated, “It was not so very long ago that states, including North Carolina, had signs above restrooms, water fountains and on public accommodations keeping people out based upon a distinction without a difference.”
This feels like a repeat of history, state-sponsored discrimination has been allowed by the federal legislator without any repercussions. I cannot fathom the fact that some of my friends who are transgender, not only face discrimination in public or in schools, but now state-sponsored. What standard are we setting for our children? What principle of respect are we upholding? Is it respectful to make an individual feel different than who they are?
Regardless, this is my pledge to all individuals that I will continue to advocate the equality for all individuals all over the world. But also, my pledge to protest this abhorrent state-sponsored discrimination and to request that action be taken to protect all individuals. We need to move forward and to allow individuals to live their life the way they want to, no one can ever take your uniqueness or values away.
Sometimes there might be bump in the road, but the beauty in your soul and the strength in your heart is what is going to prosper you to the next level of success. You’re beautiful in every single manner that makes you simply: you. Texas shouldn’t let its people forget that, and I am ready to put an end to discrimination once and for all.