Very troubling response to transgender bathroom issue

After senators in Olympia said no to Republican opposition to allowing transgender individuals from using the bathroom and locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity, we learned that a man (who was not transgender) illegally used a girls locker room in Green Lake.

What motivated him remains unclear, but it cut to the heart of some concerns over the law as applied: that anyone, pretending to be transgender (or simply not being asked out of fear if you ask, you’ll get sued), will use a locker room for nefarious purposes.

We’re now seeing some folks thinking of making a political point by exploiting this concern. On the Family Policy Institute of Washington Facebook page, one wonders, “Maybe they could go do that in the restroom of the human rights building.” At the “Keep Locker Rooms Safe” page, you see similar strategic calls.

This is a bad idea and anyone who purposefully uses the incorrect locker room, even if to make a political point they feel is valid, should be arrested.

Related: One reason why Washington’s transgender bill failed in Olympia

If the concern is that this law will be exploited for evil, then you won’t have to go into locker rooms on your own to make a political point. Someone will already be abusing the law and you can point to actual instances that show your concerns. There’s no reason to contrive up a movement. I think the concerns raised by opponents of the locker room application of this law are valid (even if it’s unlikely to be abused) and worth a discussion that wasn’t had state-wide by voters. But, if the concerns aren’t coming to fruition except in politically motivated protests, then the concerns are not very valid are they?

Today we learned of a would-be voter initiative campaign to do what Senate Republicans couldn’t: ban transgender individuals from using the locker rooms and bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity. If it gets the support and passes a vote, you will have to use the bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to your genitalia. If you support this movement (I didn’t support the Senate bill as it was too broad), I can’t think of anything worse than being only able to point to your own side violating the law to make a point. Please rethink this strategy.