Rev. Jesse Jackson’s surprising reaction to all-gender bathrooms

When Rev. Jesse Jackson sat down to talk with KIRO Radio’s Jason Rantz at the Democratic National Convention, Rantz couldn’t help but ask the human rights activist about his experience with all-gender bathrooms.

“It’s not the end of the world,” Jackson responded. “It’s what you have at your house – an all-gender bathroom.”

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The issue of transgender rights and the use of public bathrooms has become a battle in communities across the country. News agencies took notice when the DNC converted some bathrooms into all-gender restrooms. Jackson said it’s actually not as big a deal as many make it out to be.

“Just learn to respect people,” he said. “It’s a bit different because they are strangers. But we will adjust to that. It’s just a matter of maturing.”

But bathroom talk wasn’t the only thing Rantz wanted to chat about. Jackson also commented on other hot topics.

Hillary Clinton

America is maturing — the fact we can appreciate the genius, work and skills of women as we have with men through the years.

Hillary has all of the qualifications and the dreams to make it happen. The next big factor is the Hillary and Bernie forces coming together. It takes some time for healing when you have deep wounds. I spent a lot of time with Bernie today and the platform committee. He’s impressed with the platform … he’s going to work for her. In many ways, Hillary with (Tim) Kaine — that’s the ticket. But with Bernie, that’s the team.

In 1968 we couldn’t quite come together with (Hubert) Humphrey not pulling away from (Lyndon) Johnson as fast as some peace activists said he should have. And Nixon eased in through the side door. That was the worst alternative – by staying home. In 1980, when (Ted) Kennedy and (Jimmy) Carter forces couldn’t come together, (Ronald) Reagan eased in the side door. And in a sense, in 2000 it happened again when four million votes went away to (another candidate). I think we’ve learned our lesson.

Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter must be appreciated in the right context. African Americans were enslaved for 246 years. Then another 100 years of legal apartheid with Jim Crow – 5,000 blacks were lynched without one indictment. The Supreme Court ruled that blacks had no rights. Historically, black lives didn’t matter.

Now a generation is saying black lives must matter.

Look at Walter Scott, shot in the back in South Carolina — they lied about it but the camera caught him … the killing in Baton Rouge, the killing in Minnesota and the cameras caught them. Black Lives Matter is very legitimate. It is wrong to try an associate Black Lives Matter with the assassinations in Dallas and Baton Rouge. Those were soldiers having post traumatic syndrome. They learned how to kill in the military, they learned how to ambush, and how to make bombs. They had a mental explosion and killed people. The quest for equal protection under the law is reasonable.

Listen to the entire interview with Rev. Jesse Jackson interview.

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