Trump Right: Many Media Stories are Rigged
Op-Ed by State Representative Jim Runestad
Many media outlets are simply a collection of agenda driven activists. The truth to them is of little consequence when compared to advocating their personal agendas. An article in the Holland Sentinel is a case in point. They misreported some critical facts relating to a bill I introduced on bathroom usage. Either they never read my bill or read it and decided to interpret it to suit their agenda. I sent the editor this rebuttal to correct the facts and we followed up with four phone calls to ensure it was received. I personally called the editor in an attempt to see if she would consider running this rebuttal, and although I confirmed she was in the office, she refused to even receive the calls. So, in consequence of their refusal here is the rebuttal the Holland Sentinel didn’t want you to see …
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In a recent article, the Holland Sentinel inaccurately reported that my proposed legislation intends to criminalize transgender. Indeed, I have never heard of a transgender person assaulting anyone in a bathroom. The inaccurate reporting by the Sentinel obscures the truth and circumvents the actual purpose of my legislation, which is to protect privacy rights.
This legislation is needed because President Obama’s proposed guidelines for our schools give heterosexual predator males protection by law and legalize voyeurism in showers and locker rooms. Notwithstanding incidents reported in the U.S. and Canada this past year, the media claims this abuse will never happen. On October 8, 2015, the Daily Wire reported on the University of Toronto’s decision to reestablish separate showering facilities for women after men (legally present) videotaped several women. On November 18, 2015, NBC4 Washington reported a man, dressed as a woman, videotaping women in restrooms.
The Sentinel article also inaccurately reported that my bill would “explicitly” bar transgender people from using public restrooms or showers. Yet my bill neither mentions the word transgender nor “explicitly” bars a transgender person from a restroom. On the contrary, HIPPA laws prohibit one from questioning a person as to their biological sex. Under this legislation the government could never convict a person of wrongdoing without a separate criminal charge. The bill merely restricts bathroom usage based on biological sex and allows a person to use the bathroom, locker room or shower that corresponds with the sex on a state issued identification card. To be sure, my bill protects our children by permitting prosecution of voyeurs and offenders, while allowing individuals of any sex identity to use the bathroom of the sex stated on their state issued ID card.
The political agenda of those opposing this protection, however, demand that bathrooms, showers, and locker rooms be accessible to anyone without regard for personal privacy. Under this agenda a questioning student, instructor or coach could legitimately enter the shower room with younger children and adolescents of the opposite biological sex. The vast majority of American citizens know this is wrong. They understand the privacy right lost, and the horrific abuses that primarily females and children could endure in our society as a result of these policies. ~Jim Runestad
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