Elizabeth Vliet's Argumentative Analysis

The hot topic that has been controversial recently has been the new policy for public bathrooms to be identified as gender neutral bathrooms. People who identify as a gender other than their biological sex are allowed to use the bathroom based on how they identify themselves. According to the M.D. Vliet (2016), states “… opened a new Pandora’s Box of dangers to the public, especially for women and girls, with the new push for “gender neutral” public bathrooms” (para. 1). This recent issue has brought fourth much argument about making public bathrooms gender neutral will benefit or create more danger to the general public. The current policy for making public bathrooms gender neutral needs to stay in place. In the following paragraphs I will
That Vliet has treated many patients over the years of her career and has perceived some similarities from the patients she has seen over the years. Vliet (2016) mentions that similar findings of her patients, describe some as “unpredictable and uncontrollable” (para.8). Vliet’s’ findings of her patients have helped her to form the stance on having gender neutral bathrooms give access to people who don’t identify with their biology, will cause more danger to the public. She explains that the policy only thinks of the minority and not the majority of the public. She continues to argue that gender neutral bathrooms promote people to violate the policy. Vliet argues, “separate bathroom and locker facilities for men and women helps provide physical and psychological safety” (para.
In Vliet’s article she mentions that the current policy favors the minority and puts the majority of the public at risk. But Vliet takes into account the majority of the public, but does not really take into account how others who do not identify according to their biological sex have difficulties because they feel threatened and harassed in gendered bathrooms. A survey done by Herman found that, “About 70 percent of the sample reported experiencing being denied access to restrooms, being harassed while using restrooms and even experiencing some forms of physical assault” (Brady, 2016) That gendered bathrooms creates anxiety and distress for people who don’t identify with their biological sex. That Vliet mentions as to why the policy needs to be addressed and changed is because she views that gender neutral bathrooms will increase crime rates of sexual assault, rape, molestation, etc. Vliet argues that the increase of women experiencing assault will increase, due to that people will take advantage of the policy and that people who are transgender or who don’t identify by their sex will harm individuals, she portrays them as criminals. When in reality women and children do get violated in the bathrooms, but evidence shows that those crimes do not happen by people who are transgender. According to Oliver, “850 children were interviewed, and the number of transgender bathroom