Maya Dillard Smith.
Maya Dillard Smith, the interim director of the Georgia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, has resigned from her position because she does not support the organization’s fight for the right of transgender people to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity.
Smith reportedly said the ACLU is advocating for trans rights at the expense of safety for women and children.
[…]
Smith claimed that transgender rights have “intersectionality with other competing rights, particularly the implications for women’s rights.” She said that when her young daughters shared a bathroom with transgender women, it made her worry the children would be harmed. “I have shared my personal experience of having taken my elementary school age daughters into a women’s restroom when shortly after three transgender young adults over six feet with deep voices entered,” she wrote in the statement.
So, if three young adults, over six feet tall, with deep voices, who were afab entered, that would be okey dokey? This couldn’t possibly be about your own perceptions and prejudices, right?
She went on to say that her “children were visibly frightened, concerned about their safety and left asking lots of questions for which I, like many parents, was ill-prepared to answer.”
So, you’re ill-prepared. What you should have done from there was to embark on an education, learn, go out and meet a few transgender people, listen. Share that education with your children. Oh, but no, can’t have that! Instead, your lack of learning must be enshrined, and your willful ignorance paraded about, spreading fear and lies.
“Despite additional learning I still have to do, I believe there are solutions that provide can provide accommodations for transgender people and balance the need to ensure women and girls are safe from those who might have malicious intent.”
Because transgender people might be people, but they can’t be women! You just can’t take the chance of allowing a woman in a womens’ lav, too dangerous.
In an interview with Atlanta TV station WXIA, Smith argued that cisgender (nontrans) women should not have to share bathrooms with trans women because it could be”traumatic.” “If we have all-gender restrooms which will accommodate trans folks, what do we do about women who are the survivors of rape, for whom it would be traumatic to share a public restroom where you take down your underwear, and there’d be men in the bathroom,” she said.
Auuugh, no, no, no. You do not get to hold up rape survivors as free PR, claiming to care about us, while having the nerve to speak for all of us. By the way, Ms. Smith, a lot of transgender people, including trans women, have been raped. Are you speaking for them, too?
Smith has launched a website called Finding Middle Ground that features a video of a young girl talking about “boys in the girls’ bathroom.” “There’s some boys who feel like they’re girls on the inside and there’s some boys that are just perverts,” says the young girl in the ad. A caption appears on the screen after she speaks that reads “How do we keep ourl ittle girls safe and prevent transgender discrimination?”
This is the same exact shite Ted Cruz was putting out, with absolutely no evidence to back it up.
So, obviously, these three young adults made verbal threats or intimidating gestures towards you and your girls, right? No? Then your ignorance is the problem, as you admitted by being “ill-prepared to answer”.
You must have learned your bathroom protocols from James Dobson. Most women actually don’t take down their underwear unless they are behind the closed door of the stall instead of in the middle of the bathroom.
I kind of get how the religious fundies could have such a warped view of reality and be led around by the nose with fear mongering, but how did an educated ACLU lawyer fall down the rabbit hole of bigotry and fear?
Kengi #2
My wager: TERF.
“Ill-prepared to anwer”. Huh, yes, that responsibility is squarely at her feet. What did she expect? That this issue would never ever come up in her or her children’s lives?
Had a big discussion about gendered likes and dislikes with the kids today -- it’s not that hard to make sure they learn to be accepting. Start with the small things, work your way up in increments. Not that hard.
OK, so what harm actually did those women do to her children?
Obviously none. I’m wondering how much of the children’ fear was really there, how much was projection and how much was her children reacting to their mother panicking.
The crime of those women who are possibly trans (how do you know? I know some cis women who are tall and have deep voices…)? They exist.
Amazing, seeing a black woman use the very same arguments people used to justify excluding black people from white bathrooms…
I am very interested in the safety of women and girls. Those of us who are trans are very much at risk when being forced to use the wrong restroom.
1. Stalls
2. Locks
3. There’s currently nothing stopping men from entering women’s restrooms to commit sexual assault. No rapist ever will think “well, there’s a vulnerable woman in the restroom. It’s a perfect opportunity to victimise her, but unfortunately I’m not allowed in the women’s restroom*, therefore I cannot rape her”.
*Note that men are still not allowed in women’s restrooms in places where there’s no discrimination against trans people in public toilets.
Once again it’s shown to be true: Those who have suffered or may suffer bigotry and discrimination are still capable of perpetrating it against others.
Good for her. Smith realized, or had explained to her, that her personal opinions were incompatible with the ACLU, and were interfering with their mission. Resigning her post was the right thing to do. Now she is free to seek an employer more tolerant of her bigoted views and the Georgia chapter can be filled with a director more committed to defending the civil rights of all.
thebookofdave @ 7:
Good for her? I don’t think so. She resigned because she was going to be fired. She has now gone full court TERF, as Alexander put his money on @ # 3, is being courted by Christians all over the place, and busy spreading misinformation, fear, hatred, and bigotry. Dillard Smith has become a nightmare for a lot of us.