I think it was Tip O’Neal who coined the phrase: “All politics is local.” That’s as true today as when O’Neal uttered it. Right here in Gilford, our school board is struggling with a problem best described as a catch 22. I’m speaking of the transgender phenomena.
Where a few, very few, students born one gender believe they rightfully are the opposite gender. More, insisting that they can assign themselves the rights afforded to that other. Where we are now, and the school board finds itself, is in a classic case of political correctness. The pressure to coincide with an illogical, and in my opinion, irrational political solution is strong and growing. A classic darned if they do, darned if they don’t choice.
Gender Morphing
I graduated nursing school decades ago, practiced for years, kept up on medical advances but never then or now, to the best of my knowledge, has there ever been a documented case where any higher animal(s) spices has spontaneously morphed one gender to another, it just doesn’t happen. I’m pretty sure such a thing hasn’t happened here in Gilford either. That means the problem these few students have, and they have my empathy, is it is not a physiological dilemma but a psychological one. Still, that changes nothing as to the decision being forced on our School Board which is to allow the “Trans” student to decide themselves which bathroom or Locker room facility they prefer to utilize.
Proposing open facility’s
Talk about darned if you do, darned if you don’t, the Board just does not have a solution which will please everyone. Either way, they go one side or the other will be unhappy about it and this could conceivably lead to legal recourse and the way courts are today, who knows? If this should happen it could become rather expensive and the town would be on the hook. An expensive hook too. Moreover, if the schools are forced to adopt, either by the Board’s or court order, an open facility policy could create more problem then it solves. This in order to make a very small minority feel more comfortable and excepted.
Comfort or security
Besides basic education, the safety of all our students should be paramount. Today we face far more dangers then previous generations could even envision and how a policy of allowing a student physiologically one gender, regardless of their psychological leanings to utilize a facility designated for another gender is just asking for trouble. Kids and teen ages are notorious for not always making the best decisions for themselves or others. Putting them in high-risk environments, which the policy in question is, can not be regarded as a sound idea. One bad decision as a youth could affect someone for the rest of their life. That thought should carry heavily on the board as they debate this issue. Oh yes, it’s a catch 22 all right, darned if they do, darned if they don’t.
