U.S. Judge Says "No" to Obama

After my tirade yesterday, finally some common sense comes from the judicial branch.  Obama has finally been put in his place regarding transgender bathroom rights, especially as it pertains to school aged kids. 

In a decision signed on Sunday, U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor ruled that the federal education law known as Title IX "is not ambiguous" about sex being defined as "the biological and anatomical differences between male and female students as determined at their birth"¹.

The fight began when a group of 13 states, led by Texas, sought to block what the Obama administration’s guidance concerning transgender students in public schools that allowed them to use whichever restroom they choose.  Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice pursued a dismissal of the injunction arguing that the guidance is not binding and comes with no legal ramifications.  However, the U.S. Department of Education has threatened to withhold federal funding from districts that refuse to accept the Obama Administration’s guidance on the matter.

In reading through Title IX, there is nothing to indicate that the writers of the law had anything other than biological sex in mind.  That is where federal protection begins and ends. 

Civil rights are designed to protect people from circumstances beyond their control.  For instance, one cannot help what race they were born into, their age, a handicap, etc.  In the same manner, one cannot help which sex God made them.  When we are forced to enact legislation because the decisions of a few made them feel their civil rights are being violated, anarchy is not far behind.  Legislating identity, feelings, persuasion, etc. is a dangerous road. 

Common sense and a sense of well-being for the entire nation, not just a few, should be the guideposts for legislation and “guidance” in this country.  Our moral compass has become so skewed that people actually think it is a good idea to let 15 year old boys into the girls locker room because they “identify” as female. 

In what bizzaro world is that healthy for the females who are subjected to these laws?  How do I tell my 14 year old daughter not to be embarrassed or feel like her rights to privacy are being violated when a boy shares the locker next to her?  

The rights of a few should never be allowed to trump the rights of the majority in cases like this.  The boys need to keep their parts in the boy’s room and the girls, vice-versa.  Why is this even a debate?

Please share if you agree

Sources:

1) Associated Press

Our Politics are in the Toilet

Our Politics are in the Toilet

Joshua Foltz

Religion and politics aside, it is time we use some common sense in what has become one of the most ridiculous arguments in the history of our country.  That is, the argument that someone can use a restroom based on the gender they identify with.  I can end the debate very quickly. In fact, it is very simple.  Next time you use the restroom or step into the shower, look down and see what kind of parts your underwear are covering.  The discussion should end there.  But it doesn’t.  Why?

It is because we live in a society where everyone has a feeling of entitlement.  Everyone is owed something.  Everyone wants something for free.  Everyone wants things to be their way.  When things don’t go their way, they cry bigotry, discrimination, racism, or hate. 

I have nothing against anyone in the LGBT community.  I am not a hate monger or a bigot in any way.  I have friends and family in the community that I love very much.  This post is just my opinion on one subject.  Feel free to disagree.  Comments are welcome.

There is a case before Judge Gilbert in Chicago right now where a young boy feels it necessary to use the females’ changing room at his school.  Why?  Because, he “identifies” as a female.  The case was brought by 51 families who filed the lawsuit in May insisting on an end to the district policy that allows a boy to use the female changing rooms if that boy “presents himself as a girl”. The school district enacted the policy in 2015 when the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR) declared the district in violation of Title IX’s prohibition against discrimination based on sex¹.  To top it off, the DOE threatened the district, saying it would withhold up to $6 million of federal funding if the policy was not enforced. 

These are school aged kids, teenagers.  I have a teenage daughter.  At this time in the life of a teenage girl, they are at their most shy and are at a point when they are the most embarrassed and aware of their bodies.  They are going through changes both biologically and emotionally as they grow into womanhood.  To force one kid on a group in order to accommodate his “feelings” is beyond absurd, especially at that age. 

The plaintiffs in the case have argued, “Title IX regulations and 40-plus years of case law allow for “separate but equal” application when it comes to private changing facilities, sleeping accommodations, and athletic participation. Interpretation of the regulation has always recognized the distinction between male and female and the inherent need for privacy between the two sexes”¹.  

The defense has tried to argue that the “separate but equal” arguments harken back to the days of the Civil Rights Movement and racial segregation.  There is a marked difference between using the argument for sexual identity and race.  No matter what color a person is, they are a part of the human race and should be treated as such.  It is not a matter of how a person feels or how they want to be perceived.  It is a matter of birth.  So, to use that same logic for boys who want to use the girls’ restroom is not only indefensible, but it tramples on what the Civil Rights Movement was about.  One’s gender identity is in their pants, especially in the teenage years. 

“Similar battles are playing out around the country as the Department of Education has told public schools that transgender students must be allowed to use the bathrooms and locker rooms of their choice.  Texas and a dozen other states asked a U.S. judge last week to block the Obama administration’s guidance in the matter, saying it usurps the authority of school districts”².  

After the smoke clears and the arguing is done, there is only one opinion I need.  I asked my teenage daughter how she felt about the possibility of boys being allowed to go into the girls’ locker room because they identify as a female.  Her response was, “that is the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.  I don’t want some boy in the locker room with me while I’m changing.”  From the mouths of babes. 

Please share if you agree.

Sources: 1) Bonnie Pritchett, Chicago judge considers meaning of male and female, world.wng.org, August 16, 2016

                  2) Fiona Ortiz, Illinois Next Battleground in LGBT Toilet Agenda ,CHICAGO (Reuters), August 15, 2016

                 

God's Got This

We live in a fast-paced, high output society.  Our lifestyles place a gaggle of demands on our time, energy and resources.  We dance a carefully choreographed routine that allows us to navigate the minefield that each day presents us with.  These demands can be troubling, stressful, and cause us much anxiety.  

These anxious feelings are further exacerbated when times of trouble strike.  When we are hit with unexpected expenses, higher demands in the workplace, or domestic stress, it tends to send our carefully balanced routines into a tailspin.  Oftentimes, those extra burdens require more strength than we have left to give once the day to day matters are taken care of. 

We ask ourselves where the extra money is going to come from.  How will I get all of this accomplished?  What can I do to make this right?  I have found through countless trials and troubles that only one answer is worth focusing on; God’s got this. 

I am by no means a prosperity heretic or one who thinks that God will simply take away all of your problems.  In fact, Jesus says that there will be problems in this life.

“"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). 

These words were delivered to the disciples just before Jesus was arrested in the garden.  Imagine that!  Jesus—who knew the torture, pain, and suffering that lay ahead for Him, who knew the agony that awaited Him as He would hang on a cross, bleeding out and suffocating under the weight of His own body—tells His disciples to “have peace” and “take heart” even though they will have troubles because He has “overcome the world.”  He did not say “I will overcome the world,” but “I have overcome.”  It was already done!  Even though the crucifixion and resurrection had yet to happen, Jesus boldly states that He has already accomplished the goal of overcoming the world.  He knew it was God’s will and that nothing could stop it.  Therefore, He could speak confidently of it.   

We can be confident in the knowledge that even when troubles hit hard, God hits even harder.  Instead of asking God why we are going through something, perhaps we really need to ask what it is that He is preparing us for.

Jesus tells us not to worry about the things of this world, but to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33a).  This is not a call to be irresponsible or aloof of the future, but a call to rely on God and be faithful that His providence and will are going to prevail in our lives. 

Paul writes, “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship” (Romans 8:15).  In another letter he writes, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).  Our anxieties are not the product of faith, but of fear.  We who believe on the name of the Lord are children of the one, true, almighty, living God who loves us and cares for our well-being. 

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28).

We live in a broken world that continues to revolt against God.  The fact that any good can come of suffering is, in itself, evidence of God’s love and patience.  He cares for you.  He cares for us all.  To those that will trust in Him and be faithful, He will do the same in return.  In all you do, glorify Him.  Trust in Him.  Have faith in Him.  Don’t worry.  God’s got this!