Editor:

The Nov. 14 editorial (“”Endorsement of unisex bathrooms an unwise decision””) and Nov. 12 article (“”Unisex bathroom resolution passed””) make it quite clear how ignorant the Guardian is when it comes to issues of gender identity.

Despite the fact that the resolution discusses three distinct groups (parents with children of the opposite sex, students with disabilities, and students whose sex is not immediately apparent), the Guardian article and editorial focused almost entirely on transgendered students. This allowed them to print multiple false assumptions and untrue statements about transgendered people instead of actually addressing the resolution.

The Guardian writes, “”Unisex bathrooms, their supporters argue, are good for transgendered individuals who feel uncomfortable choosing a gender-specific restroom”” and “”transgendered individuals, who may be unsure of which bathrooms to use due to the ambiguity of their sexual identity.””

These quotes show how ignorant the Guardian is with regards to gender identity, and make it look as though they didn’t even bother to read the resolution. The issue is not that transgendered people “”feel uncomfortable”” or “”may be unsure”” choosing a bathroom “”due to the ambiguity of their sexual identity.”” The issue is that students are, as the resolution states, “”confronted and harassed when attempting to use gender-specific bathrooms.”” That they think this is just about transgendered people being confused, and that they conflate gender with sexual identity, shows that the Guardian does not understand the issue at all.

To prop up their claim that the resolution was written because our society is “”overly sensitive to gender issues”” and not in response to issues that students on campus are bringing up and needs that they are trying to address, the Guardian uses fallacious logic, such as: “”Transgendered individuals would be subject to more scrutiny by passing up gendered bathrooms en route to a unisex stall, opening themselves up to more ridicule than if they went into a gendered bathroom.”” As though people follow other students around campus to make sure that they didn’t happen to pass a bathroom before they go into another one.

They also printed accusations they should have known were unfounded, and falsely attributed statements to the resolution. They accused Associated Students of jumping on the bandwagon of UC campuses passing similar resolutions, even though, when asked, I told Linda Cheu, the news reporter covering the story, that I did not even know that there had been similar resolutions at other UC schools. The Nov. 12 article claims that the resolution talks about what “”handicapped people must go through in waiting for an available wheelchair accessible stall,”” when, in fact, it says that students with disabilities “”are sometimes forced to go search for a bathroom designated for their sex when there is an accessible bathroom for the opposite sex right in front of them.””

It would be a good idea for the Guardian staff to attend an Alliance training program and learn more about LGBT issues before writing about them. If you’re interested, e-mail [email protected].

— Brie Finegold

ASUCSD Commissioner of Student Advocacy