Transgender Bathroom Rights

I'll begin immediately into argumentation. RightsMany of the things the opponent has said about transgender people are true. And I certainly agree, individual rights should be protected. However, the "bathroom issue" that transgenders face is so often looked at in the inappropriate light that it can be difficult to see whose rights are being violated. A public bathroom is one that is generally accessible to the public. I will be providing a distinction here between government operated public bathrooms and business operated public bathrooms. I will not be discussing bathrooms of the latter type, so assume all my "bathroom" arguments refer to those bathrooms furnished by private businesses. In demonstrating that transgenders do not necessarily have the right to use these bathrooms effectively clashes against the resolution, as the opponent is defending the transgender's right to all public bathrooms. Note that this is not an argument from semantics. "Business operated bathrooms" account for the majority of "public bathrooms", as business buildings are far more common than government buildings. As such, I am not arguing a technicality, but rather a point that applies to the majority of public bathrooms. Business Owner RightsI contend that a business owner's right to control their own business outweighs any right that society believes transgender people should have. Concerning the law, business owners have the right to run their business in any way that corresponds to the law. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits private businesses from discriminating based upon race, color, religion or national origin. [1] Notably, this does not include "gender" (or even "sex". ) As such, businesses have no legal obligation to not discriminate against transgender people. While some may find it disconcerting that such "discrimination" is allowed, one has to remember that businesses are the property of individuals. No individual, no matter how silly or idiotic their belief, should be forced to behave in some way just to fall in line with societal norms. If a business owner does not want transgender people using the bathroom matching their gender identity, or using the restroom at all, they have the right to bar said group from using the restrooms that they own. It cannot be argued that transgender individuals somehow have more or equal ownership of a business' bathroom than the business owner them self. The harm of what this impliesAs the opponent has pointed out and as the evidence shows [2] bathroom assaults very rarely happen. In the words of my opponent, "Most rape does not occur in public places, and occurs by someone that the victim actually knows. " While this certainly indicates that transgender people are not a threat to cisgender folks, it equally indicates that cisgender individuals are not a threat to transgender people. The opponent can not simultaneously uphold the ideal that "bathroom assaults are rare" and that "transgendered individuals face great danger in using the bathroom opposite their gender identity". The two are mutually exclusive. While hate crimes may be escalating against transgender individuals, bathroom policy will not greatly impact this. Using the same logic as the opponent, a predator (or someone who wants to hurt a transgender person) will likely hurt said transgender individual regardless of the laws that are in place or which bathroom the transgender person uses. While I certainly agree that the hate against transgender individuals is appalling, there simply does not exist evidence that bathroom laws will in some way change this reality. (One can look at the status of gay people, before and after gaining more rights, and see if those laws made gay people any safer or less apt to be harmed. )The LawAgain, I'll simply mention that the law completely allows for business owners to "discriminate" on the grounds of gender identity. A business owner can eject loud patrons, it can bar entry from individuals wearing "no shirt, no shoes" and it can bar entry to bathrooms (or the facility) by transgender people. Note that the opponent's referenced "Equal Protection Clause" applies to the state, not individual businesses. Mitigating FactorsSimple economic factors ensure that transgender people will still have access to bathrooms matching their gender identity. (These referenced economic principles will be assumed as common knowledge until (and if) the opponent objects. )When you bar a particular group of people from using your service, they will naturally try and find the service elsewhere. Businesses that cater to these "common discriminated against" people, they find an increase in their customer base. This is reflected in many businesses like Target [3], Starbucks and Barnes & Noble [4] who all allow people to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity. Given this fact, it cannot be said that a lack of "bathroom laws" will somehow inhibit a transgender person from using a public bathroom, should the need arise. If there is an "emergency", there are many businesses who have decided that transgender people can use the bathroom of their choice. The opponent may argue that this is "unfair", but it's still a reflection of the reality that transgender folks have a pragmatic solution to the problem of finding a bathroom to use. (Ie, the health "harms" that the opponent mentions will not apply, since transgender people will have options. ) Whether it is actually "fair" or not is somewhat subjective, but entirely irrelevant. Businesses do not exist to provide you with a "fair experience"; they exist to generate revenue for the owners and shareholders. ConclusionI have demonstrated that businesses do have and should have the right to decide how they operate their business and that the law supports said right. I have shown that transgender people do not have more of or an equal right to a businesses bathroom as the owner, meaning it is not their decision how said bathrooms are run. I have furthermore shown that the opponent claims that the lack of bathroom laws presents some danger to transgender folks is unreasonable, given her own logic and the preponderance of evidence which shows bathroom rapes/assaults are very uncommon anyway. Lastly, I showed that there exists a pragmatic solution to this issue in that transgender people can easily find a business supporting transgender bathroom rights if there arises the need. I look forward to the opponent's response. Sources:1 - . https://www.legalzoom.com... 2 - . http://www.wcnc.com... 3 - . https://corporate.target.com... 4 - . http://www.usatoday.com...