How Can You Keep Your Family Safe in Public Restrooms?

It was 2008 when my state of Colorado passed what local media dubbed a “bathroom bill.”

In the days and weeks leading up to then Gov. Bill Ritter’s signing of the controversial bill, many people were incredulous when Focus on the Family warned the bill would open bathrooms and locker rooms to the opposite sex.

“The claims that are made in this campaign are not based in fact. They are based in fear,” Gov. Ritter’s spokesperson had said. “All this does is it brings across-the-board consistency to existing anti-discrimination laws.”

Fast-forward eight years to 2016 – restrooms, locker rooms and changing areas across the country are now open to anyone. That includes the ones in many public schools, by mandate of our government. And while a total of 21 states are now suing the Obama administration over the controversial directive issued by the Departments of Education and Justice, the fact remains that many stores and other public accommodations have also opened up their bathrooms to anyone regardless of their biological sex.

So, how should your family respond? How can you keep your family safe in public restrooms?

Our policy team has put together a new series, available on our website that will help you answer these practical questions. The articles also explain the issues behind the bathroom debate, like gender identity and transgenderism, and why almost everyone in the U.S. is affected by gender identity laws. They also provide practical tips to help keep your family safe when using public restrooms.

I hope you’ll head over to the Social Issues section of the Focus on the Family website and read our newest article series, “Public Restrooms – Your Privacy and Safety.”

I’d like to hear from you: are you concerned about your family’s safety in public restrooms and locker rooms? Let me know in the comments.

 

Topics: Current Events Tags: family, homosexuality, news, policy July 21, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura