Recently, one of my fellow classmates wrote a critique on Senate Bill 6, which is also known as the Bathroom Bill and how it should not be passed because of the nonexistent nature of the 'problem' the bill is attempting to address.
And I agree completely, her argument is strong and valid on all fronts. As my classmate states in her post, the problem that prompted Senate Bill 6 is simply not there. The overall concern is that someone will go into a bathroom that is not their gender assigned at birth and assault someone. Yet, as we see in major cities like Austin, Houston, and Dallas - there just are not cases of this happening to where this would cause any concern. And I believe that while your argument is very solid, it is missing some very vital points as to why this bill is unnecessary.
The other problems with this bill are that there is just no reason to place an overall rule over a state when this is not a state-wide issue. A couple of weeks ago, when there was a hearing over Senate Bill 6 - there were many people who came to voice their concerns and the main point for them was how this Bill only really affects major cities in Texas, those which are often more progressive than the rest of the state. That being the case, it doesn't make sense why this bill should be implemented to the entire state when it does not really matter to the majority of the state of Texas (not to say the transgender bathroom issue isn't important, but if most transgender people are not living in small, rural cities in Texas - why would we make it a law for those in places like Uncertain, Texas?)
The reason this bill doesn't work is that it places this huge rulebook over all of Texas, governing different cities with different perspectives and different experiences with this current issue. Does the state of Texas know what is best for our progressive cities or do we, the people who live within them? While this problem needs to be addressed, it is best left to the local governments themselves to implement ordinances that personally fit that particular cities needs.
