US — Chicago. This week, Chicago Public schools announced on its Twitter account that all restrooms have been made mixed-sex to be “more inclusive” of students and staff who wish to use “facilities that align with their gender identity.”
The new policy required all public schools in Chicago to post updated signage on restroom doors by December 1.
Executive Director of Media Relations Mary Ann Fergus told the National Desk: “Our restrooms are open for use to anyone who feels comfortable in that space.”
New temporary signage issued to schools shows that some newly mixed-sex student restrooms have urinals as well as stalls, while others have only stalls.
Camie Pratt, the Title IX Officer said in a Twitter video announcing the policy: “Our district’s Office of Student Protections and Title IX is also working on a long-term plan to create more permanent signage for our bathrooms.”
My niece is 12 and had just gotten her first period at the beginning of the 7th grade school year. She went in the “inclusive” bathroom and found two boys in there. Now it’s been a battle because she won’t drink anything as she tries to never have to use bathrooms at school.
— Roger Moore (@BonusDonuts) December 3, 2021
Ms Pratt said the new policy will “create more equitable and safe schools” and put the state’s public schools “in compliance with federal guidelines.”
“Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation,” which was passed by Joe Biden on January 20, 2021, the day he was inaugurated President, prohibits “discrimination on the basis of gender identity.”
Single-use restrooms will “also be available for anyone who prefers that level of privacy,” Executive Director of Media Relations Mary Ann Fergus said in a statement.
Many Chicago parents are outraged, and slamming the mixed-sex restroom policy as “child abuse.” Some are suggesting parents file a class action lawsuit against the school board or home-school their children.
A tweeter said it is “a breach of common decency to expect young girls to share the experience of going through this [their periods] with immature boys in the [vicinity].” Other Twitter users discussed how young girls in their families are refusing to drink water during the school day in order to avoid using the mixed-sex restrooms.
Is that what it is? How illuminating. I guess we can tell the young girls who are victims of sexual assault to stop whining and being bigots.
— Ron Swanson's Toxic Mustache ● (@RonSwansonsTox1) December 2, 2021
In October, a 15-year-old male student in Loudon County, Virginia who identifies as gender fluid was found guilty of the violent anal and oral rape of a teen girl in a school’s girls’ restroom. The incident took place on May 28 while the male student was wearing a skirt, and he later molested another girl at a school he was transferred to. A similar incident was reported in 2017 in Decatur, Georgia by a mother who said a “gender non-conforming” male student penetrated her five-year-old daughter with his fingers in a girls’ restroom at school.
Working-class women in the west campaigned for, and despite sabotage and resistance, ultimately won the right to public toilets in the late 19th century as women began entering previously male-dominated professions, working in factories alongside men. Before then, what was known as the “urinary leash” restricted women’s freedoms, keeping women close to home.
CALL TO ACTION
Those wishing to express their views on mixed-sex restrooms for public school students should contact the following:
Pedro Martinez
Chief Executive Officer
Mail: 42 W. Madison St. Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: 773-553-1573
Email: [email protected]
Are these people out of their minds??!!! They are perfectly willing to shove girls’ safety and dignity aside in order that a few oddballs don’t FEEL BAD???!!
Please, please, please Parents SUE THESE FOOLS into oblivion.
This is awful. And there are apparently intelligent people who believe this is for the ‘safety’ of the children. It will be open season on girls. Bullying and sexual abuse will skyrocket.
Yes. As could bladder & kidney infections along with a slew of other health issues in girls, who have essentially been put back on the urinary leash in all places which have instituted this mixed sex bathroom policy. How appallingly regressive this truly is!
You know back in the 1800s women’s public bathrooms didn’t exist, because men thought it would encourage women to leave the house, which was a big no-no in our patriarchal society.
And here we are again, in 2021, not having bathrooms to use, thanks to the patriarchy.
I’d like to see Drs Blanchard and Zucker answer specifically for their contributions to the non-science of non-biologically sexed facilities. For how many teen pregnancies shall they be responsible for? And how many cases of sepsis from bladder/kidney infections in young girls are we going to tolerate, as a society? And, in the end, “neutral” bathrooms is not what the TiMs want. They want into the girls’ restrooms.
TIMs don’t want 3rd spaces because how on earth would they get Validation from that?
That would make plain and obvious to all that they are NOT, in fact, Women.
Doors wide open for pedos out of control, that’s what it is about, just because they are men.
I remember the girls’ bathrooms when I was in high school in the 1970s. They were a scary place even back then. The tough kids took over the facilities and used them as their own private smoking room. I didn’t go in there unless I was ready to pee my pants. I can just imagine what it will be like now that teenaged boys can come and go at will.
If the school is so concerned about the transgenders, let them build a separate bathroom for them. it will be cheaper than defending lawsuits after defenseless young women get raped.
What does ”Inclusive” even mean ??? Bathrooms for WOMEN never excluded any WOMAN. Does it mean ”Welcoming” ?? Why should changing rooms and girl’s bathrooms be welcoming for non-women ???? Why should women sacrifice their safety and act as if everything is ok when everyone knows what some sick men are capable of ????
Of course they did, the Pritzker family runs the state. I’m sure “Penny” is over the moon about this
Talk about democracy in decline in the West!
I guess Louden just encouraged them, now that parents are domestic terrorists and all.
And then the MRAs say there is no patriarchy…the devil’s biggest lie was to con people into believing he didn’t exist!
I wrote Martinez. I’m neither a parent nor resident of Chicago, still I felt I needed to say something. Thank you for providing that contact info.
Dreadful. Happening here in uk when against law and building regs. Parents caused uproar forced schools to change back… all reasons above, periods, safety, boys period teasing, infections etc.
Strangely is men who are on our side more than women… in house of lords a coupke of Lords pointed out:-
No decent male would want to walk in on a female and embarass her. Females have specific sanitary needs such as menstruation menopause pregnancy. A child at school may need to clean pants out when a period starts at an inopportune moment. No girl alone in the toilets should have to stress that men could walk in on her. Females dignity privacy and safety must be protected……..
During covid women donated to london theatres because they said theyd provide more ladies toilets…. they changed them all to gender neuter causing destress anger because now men had more places, women less or essentially none of there own.
Some countries have kept ladies loos tge same. Changed mens to unisex with no complaints. Why mess with the females unless you hate women.
I hope lots of lawsuits and boycotting will end this. Hit them where they care- money… they’ll soon change back
WHO are trying get female only sex toilets for girls in Africa. are daily rapes in unisex loos so girls feel safer defecating & dealing with menstrual issues outside. also girls miss 20% school cos no female only loos so forced stay at home. up to parents boycott, go on strike, no girls go to school til get facilities back. this happened in uk, loos moved stealth cos lobbying stonwall told schools have to provide toilets for each gender identity — wrong. stonewall changed word “sex” for “gender identity” -the latter is not mentioned in our equality law. parents uproar, teachers changed loos back. it breaches building regulations too.
Yes. We must center female needs. Ute Heggen