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Donate Online | July 29, 2010 | Printer-Friendly Version |
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BSU official: It's a "transgender" bathroom
PRESS RELEASE May 11, 2007
To: News Desks/Assignment Editors Contact: Bryan Fischer (208) 841-2546 Executive Director, BSU OFFICIAL ADMITS CALLING NEW FACILITY A “TRANSGENDER” BATHROOM According to the Associated Press, “Leah Barrett, the BSU student union’s director, said she told a group of student lawmakers the new restroom would be suitable … for transgender students.” This comes after BSU communications director Frank Zang twice challenged the IVA to issue a “retraction and correction” for saying what Ms. Barrett finally admitted yesterday (see copy of email below). In an email sent to the IVA on April 24, Mr. Zang said, “ BSU President Bob Kustra, in an email sent on April 25 (see copy of email below), accused the IVA of making “false and misleading” statements when we had written in late April that Ms. Barrett had openly called the bathroom a “transgender” facility. Later in that communiqué, Mr. Kustra said “our plans have been misrepresented in this manner.” Said Fischer went on, “Of course we understand that the building code requires a restroom that will accommodate the disabled, and we all should be glad that they will have access to a user-friendly facility. However, this provides no explanation as to why Ms. Barrett has been referring to it as a ‘transgender’ bathroom.” Fischer added, “BSU would never say, for instance, that campus bathrooms are not only good for hygiene purposes, they are also ‘suitable for intravenous drug users,’ because that would be an implied endorsement of drug abuse. Ms. Barrett was in fact legitimizing transgenderism by referring to the restroom as she did.” According to the New York Times, the “new political frontier” in the culture war is “the campaign to establish gender-neutral bathrooms in public places.” Said Fischer, “That means it is not an incidental thing for BSU officials to refer to it as a ‘transgender’ bathroom. If they’d been able to get away with it, homosexual activists would have considered this a great victory in their battle to normalize sexually variant behaviors.” The American Psychiatric Association refers to transgenderism as a “gender identity disorder,” and repeatedly uses the term “disturbance” to describe this condition. “If the taxes of --- Email from IVA to Leah Barrett, May 2, 2007 From: Leah, Thank you for getting back to me, and I hope your time with your family was terrific! With regard to the bathroom issue, I have two questions for you. The first is this: have you yourself ever referred to it as a “transgender” bathroom? The second is this: Will BSU allow this bathroom to be described, say by student groups, as a “transgender” bathroom on the BSU website? I appreciate you getting back to me so soon after getting back into the office, and I look forward to your responses to these questions. Thank you! --- Email from Frank Zang to the IVA, April 24, 2007 (emphasis ours) From: Frank Zang [mailto:frankzang@boisestate.edu] Sent: Tuesday, April 24, 2007 11:23 AM To: Bryan@idahovaluesalliance.com; contact@idahovaluesalliance.com Subject: Request for Correction
I am making a second request for a retraction and correction to your latest newsletter headline. BoiseState has no plans for a transgendered bathroom in its expansion of the Thanks, Frank. Frank Zang BoiseStateUniversity Director of Communications and Marketing Tel: 208-426-5391 Fax: 208-426-4001 frankzang@boisestate.edu www.boisestate.edu --- Email from the IVA to Frank Zang, April 26, 2007 From: Dear Frank, Thank you for sending along the PDF file of the expansion plans for the BSU Student Union Building! I’m afraid we still have the matter of the discrepancy between your statement about this restroom – (“ I did send an email to Ms. Barrett on Monday, and left a voice mail for her on Tuesday, but I have yet to hear back from her. I called her again this morning, only to be informed that she is out of the office until May 2. Perhaps when she is able to return my call, I can hear directly from her as to how she has represented the purposes and uses of this new restroom. Given the unambiguous nature of her comments on Monday night, I’m afraid I have no choice but to continue to represent this new restroom as intended by BSU not only for use by the disabled but also for use by the transgendered. While I appreciate the fact that the restroom is required by law, and am happy that the disabled will have access to it, this fails to explain why it has been represented as a “transgender” facility by the executive director of the Student Union Building. Because of the difference in your statement, as compared to Ms. Barrett’s, I’m a bit confused by the last sentence in your email, “Leah and I are in agreement on the intention of this restroom in the new building.” It appears from my vantage point that that is not in fact the case, and I believe that discrepancy needs to be clarified. If Ms. Barrett spoke in error, an official retraction from her on BSU’s behalf would certainly be appropriate, as perhaps would be a statement from the university administration that no one representing the university or posting information anywhere on the BSU website (including student clubs) will describe the restroom as a restroom for the transgendered, or intended in any way for use by the transgendered community. A statement of that nature would be consistent with what you have stated to me regarding the purpose of the restroom, and would help to allay the taxpaying-public’s legitimate concern, and any concern state legislators might have, about the purposes and uses for this new bathroom. Perhaps then any confusion can be put to rest and everyone can look forward to enjoying the expanded student union facility. I’m sure you are aware that unisex bathrooms are celebrated and promoted at schools such as Harvard and the “Everyone has the right to use the bathroom without fear! Besides reinforcing gender norms, bathrooms that are clearly marked as male/female force many individuals to enter bathroom environments that they consider uncomfortable and unsafe. People face discrimination daily for entering marked bathrooms containing other individuals who perceive their gender to be variant from the social norm. Increasing awareness and identifying the locations of gender-safe bathrooms will prevent people from being threatened by violence and harassment.” (Welcome to the Harvard BGLTSA: Harvard University Bathroom Study 2004) According to a story in the New York Times, the “new political frontier” in the culture war is “the campaign to establish gender-neutral bathrooms in public places.” The idea, the article continues, is to make sure that transsexuals, cross-dressers, and “those with a fluid, androgynous identity who do not consider themselves completely male or female” can use bathrooms “without fear or harassment.” I believe it is in the best interest of Idaho’s public policy for the university to make it abundantly clear that this new restroom will not be presented in any way as a step forward or as a victory in that campaign. As always, Mr. Sawmiller and I are available to sit down and discuss this matter further. With regard, 841-2546 --- Email written by BSU President Bob Kustra, April 25, 2007 (emphasis ours) Some of you may have seen or received phone calls about the inclusion of "transgender" bathrooms in the Student Union Expansion project at
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The purpose of unisex bathrooms is to meet the needs of disabled persons who require assistance from an attendant who may be of the opposite sex. They are also often commonly referred to as "family bathrooms" because they serve the same purpose for a parent of a small child of the opposite sex.
The requirement is standard throughout the state and nation, and one can see these sorts of bathroom facilities in other public buildings, including the Ada County Courthouse and the University of Idaho Commons. It is likely that the new Statehouse expansion will be subject to this requirement as well.
It is disappointing and regretful that our plans have been misrepresented in this manner. If I can provide additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me. Robert W. Kustra, --- - ### - |
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