Bathrooms, Biology and Federal Overreach

daily_commentary_05_16_16Last Friday we told you about the federal government’s new guidelines affecting bathroom and locker room policies at schools across America–including Arkansas.

Today our friends at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview have put together a solid commentary on the new guidelines and their implications.

John Stonestreet at the Colson Center writes,

Was everyone who lived before 2015 an unenlightened bigot? Recent statements by this administration may give you that impression. . . . .

[O]n Friday . . . Obama administration officials—specifically the assistant secretary of education for civil rights and the head of the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department—directed schools, including “all public schools and most colleges and universities that receive federal funds,” to—as the Washington Post described it—“provide transgender students with access to suitable facilities—including bathrooms and locker rooms—that match their chosen gender identity.”

Schools that fail to comply with this edict from on high are, the officials announced, in violation of Title IX, the federal sexual anti-discrimination act, and would therefore—you guessed it—risk losing federal funding. Comply or you don’t get the money. It’s ideological extortion, not policy making.

You can read Stonestreet’s entire commentary here–or listen to it below.

[audio:http://www.breakpoint.org/images/content/breakpoint/audio/2016/051616_BP.mp3|titles=Bathrooms, Biology and Federal Overreach by John Stonestreet]

Obama Administration Puts Arkansas Children at Risk With New Bathroom Policy

The Obama Administration has issued new guidelines effectively requiring every public school in America–including the schools in communities across Arkansas–to let biological males use girls’ bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, and similar facilities, and vice versa.

The guidelines indicate schools that do not let individuals use the sex-specific facilities of their choice will lose public funding.

The new guidelines say, point blank,

“A school may provide separate facilities on the basis of sex, but must allow transgender students access to such facilities consistent with their gender identity. A school may not require transgender students to use facilities inconsistent with their gender identity or to use individual-user facilities when other students are not required to do so.”

In other words, if a biological male who claims to be female wants to use the girls’ locker room, the school cannot stop him.

This is a ridiculous, unnecessary reinterpretation of federal law from the Obama Administration. It puts students at risk and infringes their privacy.

It also guarantees public schools will be hit with lawsuits all across the country. Schools that comply with the new guidelines may face lawsuits from students and families in their districts–as we have already seen in Illinois. Schools that do not comply with the guidelines may face legal action from the federal Department of Education or Department of Justice.

These are terrible guidelines that negatively affect every public school in America and their students.

Below is contact information for Arkansas’ Congressional Delegation, if you would like to contact your senators and congressman to voice your concern about the Obama Administration’s action.

U.S. SENATOR JOHN BOOZMAN

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Little Rock Office:
1401 W. Capitol Ave., Plaza F
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: (501) 372-7153
Fax: (501) 372-7163

D.C. Office:
141 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-4843
Fax: (202) 228-1371

Click Here to Email U.S. Senator Boozman

U.S. SENATOR TOM COTTON

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Little Rock Office:
11809 Hinson Road
Suite 100
Little Rock, AR 72212

Mailing Address:
PO Box 25216
Little Rock, AR 72221
Phone: (501) 223-9081
Fax: (501) 223-9105

D.C. Office:
124 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-2353

Click Here to Email U.S. Senator Cotton

U.S. CONGRESSMAN RICK CRAWFORD (AR DISTRICT 1)

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Jonesboro Office:
2400 Highland Drive, Suite 300
Jonesboro, AR 72401
Phone: (870) 203-0540
Fax: (870) 203-0542

D.C. Office:
1711 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-4076
Fax: (202) 225-5602

Click Here to Email Congressman Crawford

U.S. CONGRESSMAN FRENCH HILL (AR DISTRICT 2)

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Little Rock Office:
1501 N. University Ave.
Suite 150
Little Rock, AR 72207
Phone: (501) 324-5941
Fax: (501) 324-6029

D.C. Office:
1229 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2506
Fax: (202) 225-5903

Click Here to Email U.S. Congressman Hill

U.S. CONGRESSMAN STEVE WOMACK (AR DISTRICT 3)

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Rogers Office:
3333 Pinnacle Hills, Suite 120
Rogers, Arkansas 72758
Phone: (479) 464-0446
Fax: (479) 464-0063

D.C. Office:
1119 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-4301
Fax: (202) 225-5713

Click Here to Email U.S. Congressman Womack

U.S. CONGRESSMAN BRUCE WESTERMAN (AR DISTRICT 4)

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Hot Springs Office:
101 Reserve St.
Suite 200
Hot Springs, AR 71901
Phone: (501) 609-9796
Fax: (501) 609-9887

D.C. Office:
130 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3772
Fax: (202) 225-1314

Click Here to Email U.S. Congressman Westerman

Target Stock Takes Hit Amid Boycott

Target_Albemarle_Rd_Charlotte,_NC_(7579989322)Recently we told you about Target’s decision to open its restrooms and fitting rooms to anyone regardless of their biological sex–meaning biological males can use the women’s restrooms and fitting rooms at Target, and vice versa.

In response, the American Family Association launched an effort calling on Americans to boycott Target.

The boycott effort has been very well received, with more than 1.2 million people pledging to boycott the store as of this morning, and now some are noting that Target’s stock has taken a hit in the past month.

Josh Enomoto at InvestorPlace.com writes,

Two weeks ago, the big box retailer announced that its guests and team members can use restrooms or fitting rooms that correspond to their gender identity. According to the Associated Press, Target became the first major retailer to publicly stand up for so-called transgender rights.

At the same time, they drew unwanted attention at a particularly sensitive time, potentially harming the Target brand and TGT stock. . . . .

The decision to weigh in so strongly on such a divisive issue has to be worrying for holders of Target stock. Since the retailer’s April 19 announcement, TGT stock has dropped 6.5%.

As Enomoto also notes, Target stock is not exactly imploding, but it does seem like more than coincidence Target’s stock would take a hit during one of the American Family Association’s most active boycotts in the organization’s history.

We encourage you to join us and more than one million other Americans in boycotting Target, if you have not already.

Also, below is a list of Target stores in Arkansas along with each store’s contact information; you can use it to make your opinion on Target’s bathroom policies known.

Bryant Target 7377 Alcoa Rd Bryant, AR 72022-6204 (501) 776-4360
Conway Target 501 Elsinger Blvd Conway, AR 72032-4717 (501) 328-5739
Fayetteville Target 3545 N Shiloh Dr Fayetteville, AR 72703-5359 (479) 443-5517
Fort Smith Target 4001 Phoenix Ave Fort Smith, AR 72903-6099 (479) 709-8940
Jonesboro Target 3000 E Highland Dr Jonesboro, AR 72401-6321 (870) 934-9661
North Little Rock Target 4000 McCain Blvd North Little Rock, AR 72116-8039 (501) 771-4220
Little Rock University Target 420 S University Ave Little Rock, AR 72205-5246 (501) 801-3412
Little Rock West Target 12700 Chenal Pkwy Little Rock, AR 72211-3360 (501) 217-0200
Rogers Target 2404 Promenade Blvd Rogers, AR 72758-9080 (479) 986-1100

Photo Credit: By Mike Kalasnik from Fort Mill, USA [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons