Transgender people should be able to use the bathrooms of the gender they identify as

Opponents Argument: Reason 1My opponent argues that to keep religious people from having public bathrooms as a "clear separation" between men and women is just as cruel as keeping transgender people from being able to use the bathrooms of the gender they identify as. I would argue that If transgender people are only left with the option of using bathrooms of the gender they don't identify as, that brings up many problems than just being slightly discomforted in their day to day lives.First, as I pointed out in my previous argument, there have been cases of cisgender women being thrown out of women's bathroom because they presented as butch and were mistaken for men. I imagine many transgender males would have similar experiences of being mistaken for men while using women's bathrooms and being kicked out.Secondly, transgender people also face a huge risk of violence against them. [1] This is true especially among transgender women. [2] To give transgender women the only option of using the men's bathroom is not a fair idea. It simply isn't safe for them, it would make them a very bold target.As I mentioned in my previous argument, gender dysphoria leads to depression and often times suicide. The only way to treat gender dysphoria is to allow those suffering from it to identify and present as the gender they feel they are. To not allow them the ability to use the public bathroom they feel more comfortable using will just stir up feeling of gender dysphoria, and would be a disruption to their treatment. It simply would be degrading to them as human beings.Religious people will always have a choice to use a public bathroom without the worry of being kicked out or disrupted by others once they are in there. However, transgender people do not share that same luxury. For the reasons I stated above, transgender people would not be able to comfortably and safely use any public bathroom, there would always be the threat of being kicked out or harassed.Opponents Argument: Reason 2My opponent argues that if transgender men are allowed to use the men's bathroom, it would cause longer lines, and more occupied stalls which would come as an inconvenience to the cisgender men using the bathroom. Transgender people make up around 0.3% of the population [3], so cisgender men should not fear longer lines to the bathroom nor should they fear too many stalls being occupied at a time. Essentially, if we allowed transgender men to use the men's bathroom, you won't see much of an increase of traffic in those bathrooms. Also, keeping in mind, many transgender males do use stand to pee devices, so they do have the option of using the urinals as well.[4]My opponent then argues that women will feel uncomfortable with transgender women using the women's bathroom. As I mentioned in my previous argument, the fears of allowing transgender women to use the women's bathroom are not necessarily rational. If a man wants to attack a woman, dressing up as a woman, and going into a public restroom to do so is a bit of a stretch. In places where transgender people do have protections to use the public bathrooms they choose to, there have been no increase in sexual violence against cisgender women. [5]Conclusion:I believe it would do more harm than good to continue to not allow transgender people to use the public bathrooms of the gender they identify as. There is still a lot of ignorance surrounding transgender people, but we should not give into that ignorance. We can't simply wait until social acceptance comes to transgender people before we allow them to use the bathrooms they wish to. That type of progress does not happen by proxy. It takes a lot of pushing, and educating. The debate surrounding this issue of public bathrooms is a very good place to educate, and to push people to rethink some of their ideas.I would also like to thank my opponent for her arguments, and I will give her the final word.[1] http://www.transequality.org...; [2] http://www.avp.org...[3] http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu...[4] http://www.ftmguide.org...[5] http://mediamatters.org...