OPINION: Dillard Smith’s Resignation is Questionable
By Joan King, APN Columnist
(APN) SAUTEE NACOOCHEE, Georgia — It seems we are in the silly season. I’ve seen a lot of “tempests in a teapot” in my life, but the reaction of Maya Dillard Smith, the former Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, to “three transgendered adults” in the women’s restroom, takes the cake.
“My children were visibly frightened… [and] concerned about their safety…” she said, in a statement first reported by Atlanta Progressive News.
[Editor’s note: APN’s coverage has led to national coverage of the incident, including by national Fox News television.]
Good grief! What had she told them to elicit such a response? What other boogeymen has she introduced to these poor children?
Okay, so the individuals were, allegedly, “over six feet tall with deep voices.” What made her decide they were transgender?
If they were transgendered and had used the men’s room, they might well have been beaten up by male homophobes.
The last thing most transgendered people want is to be singled out as abnormal.
Ordinarily there is very little to indicate an individual is transgendered. Biological females can take hormones that make them grow facial hair. A biological male can take hormones that enlarge breast tissue.
But either way, both need to pee, and all restrooms have private stalls for the serious stuff. What’s the problem?
As for Georgia’s ACLU, they need to a better job of vetting their hires. They don’t need fearful, prejudiced people working for them.
(END/2016)
Is Ms. Smith irrational or do you think she’ll move on to a career in conservative politics?
Congrats to APN for bringing in Joan King!!! Great piece of serious insight with a delightfully humorous tone. Thanks.
It is very much “silly season”. What is really silly is telling people lies such as their gender is a matter of preference or feeling. For the past seven plus years, this country has been in thrall to a progressive thug and other assorted lunatics who have lied, cheated, and stolen in order to “transform” America. It has been human social experimentation on steroids. I am against this evil. Many Americans have watched in horror and sadness as many of our good, solid religious and patriotic traditions were dismantled in the name of political correctness run amok. These traditions have helped millions of people in this country to be successful and happy. These traditions reigned in unacceptable behavior in society and protected the majority. Now under a tyranny of the minority, there is no such thing as anyone feeling ashamed about their behavior. Instead people are now entitled to act out anything they feel like doing with impunity. This is because your version of society celebrates them and their behavior. I think it is beautiful thing when a progressive such as Maya Dillard Smith experiences the reality of the very progressive policies she supports. Progressive policies have negative impacts on people. That is the reality you people cannot grasp or you don’t care. And then to reinforce the point, you attack her responsibility to raise and protect her kids. There are no boogeymen here except you progressives. Hopefully this all stings Ms. Smith very hard. Maybe this mother will really begin to see how lifeless and vacant progressivism really is. You folks like to say it is all relative. Buy my Lord said: “But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ” Progressivism is sand, Jesus is Rock. And P.S. I got news for you, trans-gendered people are abnormal…
David, whether or not we agree about transgender people is not relevant. The issue is whether human beings have the right to use the bathroom. You can disagree about the nature of transgender people, you can disagree with the policies of the ACLU but this is a human issue. These are people. Similar to the anti-miscegenation laws, the underlying principle is the freedom of people to be themselves as long as it doesn’t hurt others. Despite the fact that many people thought that black people and white people getting married was evil, we have since decided as a society that it is unconstitutional to prevent it. In the case in the article, no children were harmed during the use of the restroom. I don’t have all the facts about that incident but men in drag are very different from transgender people. The transgender people I know don’t wish to be recognized and do everything they can to blend into society. This incident was probably a good opportunity to teach children about the range of human difference.
Lastly, public conversation is one of the most important rights we have. I will always argue for your right to your opinion. However, when we start using words like evil and abnormal, it is much easier to dismiss your opinion. It is based less on facts and evidence than on a hardened demeaning argument. I hope that the dialogue can continue with a different tone.
Micheal,
What part of allowing those individuals that assume they can determine what they are into bathrooms of their choice endangers women and children don’t you understand…..a little common sense goes a long way…..you claim that they merely want to blend in with societal norms, how is that possible when they won’t were the appropriate clothing or use the bathroom of their predetermined gender….if you really care for them you would tell them the truth versus placating their wants instead of tending to their needs….even if modern medicine could give a man a menstration cycle he still would not be a woman…..at what point does allowing boys and girls to shower together, share rooms on overnight field trips, accept donated blood from homosexuals, force other countries to accept abortion and homosexual rights by changing their constitution, and by usurping law giving marriage to those that it is not even for doesn’t dislodge you from your position….comparing interracial marriage to that which is unseemly is at best incredulous at worst down right dispecable…… people cannot chose the ethnicity but one can chose their sexual orientation?….P.S. if they want to blend in with society then they should do what they are supposed to do and not what they want to do…..
We live in interesting times — times where our beliefs and values are often more under renovation than the streets of Atlanta. I wasn’t there when the above happened but as a parent I can suggest the following.
Ms. Smith took her kids to the restroom. Three possible trans individuals are also in there. The kids, with their limited intellect go into scared mode. Smith has a split second to react, make decisions, analyze the situation, etc. What happened happened.
It’s easy after the fact to second guess. We have all the facts and none of the drama. Judging anyone for one course of action out of a lifetime isn’t fair.