Alligators in the Sewers

E.T. is a great movie, one of the most popular movies of the 80s.

One of the scenes that stands out to me is when the boys are excitedly talking about strange phenomena at the dinner table, and one of them brings up "Alligators in the sewers." Little Drew Barrymore, also at the table, hears this and says with sly skepticism, "Alligators in the sewers," like it's just stupy boys being stupy boys, like it's the crazy paranoid nonsense that it actually is.

And that's how I react when I hear someone say -

Transgenders in the bathrooms

What crazy, paranoid nonsense  What a stupid rabbit hole to go down.

The right is always trying to gin up nonsense to fire up their base. They're always picking boogeymen to chase to distract from the fact that their actual agenda (tax cuts for the rich, cutting social security, eliminating health care assistance, allowing deregulated corporations to run roughshod, and sacrificing public safety, just to name a few) is extremely unpopular.

Whether it's fluoride in the drinking water, anthem-kneeling sports figures, welfare moms, immigrant caravans, Teletubbies, or Taylor Swift, it's always something  Like a con man or magician shouting, "Don't look over there; Look over here!"

Our transgendered citizens are one of the easiest of our marginalized communities to pick on. It doesn't matter that they've always existed in every society, at every time. It's difficult for some to understand, but it is scientifically accurate that a person's brain (and soul*!) can be wired differently than their genitalia. 

It's easy to frighten those already on the right with images of men dressed as women invading public bathrooms for the sole purpose of ogling women of all ages.

Yeah.  Right. Someone who identifies as a woman, dresses as such, and THINKS as such is not doing it as an excuse to get into women's restrooms. Alk about your long con!

Is it impossible that a HETEROSEXUAL man would dress as a woman and get into the women's restroom? Maybe...but here's the critical thing to note - THEY"RE NOT TRANSEXUAL.

The primary driver of sexual and physical abuse is not the LGBTQ+ community. Transsexuals committing these abuses are rarer than people getting hit by lightning.

No, the primary driver of these abuses are authority figures in the children's lives who abuse their relationship - pastors, priests, youth pastors, teachers, coaches, and especially other family members, but the right doesn't seem to be worried about the real threat.

Of course, this fear has focused on public library bathrooms. All other bathrooms—in public places, in retail establishments, in restaurants—seem to get a pass.

So, please, can anyone explain to me -

Why are they focused exclusively on public library bathrooms? Even when libraries have single-stall, locking restrooms, it doesn't seem to matter. What is special about the library that they are being held out for special persecution?

Please.

Make it make sense to me.

I don't understand.

*yeah, I don't think a soul is a scientific term, but I nevertheless think it exists.