Just when you thought there was no hope for sanity left in America, the light of reason breaks through the clouds of ideology, if only for a moment.
Maya Dillard Smith, head of the Georgia ACLU, resigned her position last week citing her organization’s unwillingness even to discuss any perspective or opinion out of sync with its own advocacy for transgender bathrooms.
The Huffington Post and other far left outlets responded, predictably, by attacking Ms. Smith and completely missing the point. This is not about predators coming into public bathrooms. That approach was from the start a tactical blunder by conservatives (which, sadly, is all too common).
The real issues here are governmental overreach and the right to privacy. Just as the minority deserves protection from oppression by the majority, so too does the majority deserve protection from the predilections of the minority.
This is where the ACLU so consistently gets it wrong. Social conventions are not all oppressive. Just the opposite: they create the standards and boundaries of personal conduct that allow civil society to function. Tearing them down willy-nilly because someone might find them discomfiting leads to social anarchy, from which everyone ultimately suffers.
But even that wasn’t the point behind Ms. Smith’s resignation. It was the ACLU’s outright refusal to acknowledge the legitimacy of any position other than its own.
This is the problem that is plaguing the Western World and tearing our civilization apart. The zombie-like groupthink that turns every adversary into a neanderthal or a Nazi undermines the whole notion of a democratic society. We have to be able to discuss and debate, and to accept that reasonable people can disagree. As long as a culture of political dogma prevails, endorsed and enabled by so many in high office and the media, our society will continue to crumble.
But for now, we have an unlikely hero. Kudos to Maya Smith for taking a true stand on true principle, for not selling out, for not trying to have it both ways (ala Kim Davis), and for not being afraid of the hail of vitriol she knew she would bring upon herself from her former allies.
May she inspire others to follow her example.
Yonason Goldson 
I am not religious. I am liberal, pro-gay and often have voted for Democratic candidates. But I have common-sense concerns about these so-called “bathroom bills”. Gay marriage has no impact on my life. That is not the case with these “bathroom bills”.
The problem with these bills is that they eradicate sex-segregated facilities. Many transgender advocates try to obscure this fact. Why should women be expected to accept without debate the creation of unisex locker rooms, dressing rooms, hospital rooms, etc.? How does this benefit women?
“Bathroom bills” contain unintended consequences that encroach upon the privacy, personal security and rights of women and children. This article gives an example of the type of situations that Maya wants to discuss:
18 NYC Girls Too Scared to Use Female Locker Room due to Presence of “Bearded Individual”
http://time.com/4324687/even-in-liberal-communities-transgender-bathroom-laws-worry-parents/
It is disappointing to see that the mainstream media has mostly ignored Maya’s story. Not everyone who has objections to these policies is doing so out of bigotry.
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Well stated: “accept without debate,” that’s what is always demanded. If they’re so certain in their position, why aren’t they eager to debate? Of course, engaging in debate allows for the other side to substantiate or legitimize its claim, and that’s what they find so frightening.
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RYG,
What ever happened to the screamer in the Target cereal aisle?
Sid
On Mon, Jun 6, 2016 at 1:18 PM, Proverbs and Providence wrote:
> Yonason Goldson posted: “Just when you thought there was no hope for > sanity left in America, the light of reason breaks through the clouds of > ideology, if only for a moment. Maya Dillard Smith, head of the Georgia > ACLU, resigned her position last week citing her organization’s” >
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Huh?
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[…] that the topic of transgender bathrooms warranted deeper discussion. To her credit, Ms. Smith resigned her position rather than remain part of an organization so fervently opposed to the principle of civil […]
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