Note to Scarlette…

Dear Editor,

This message is in response to the last article posted by Scarlette Quille of Single in Sandpoint.

Scarlette, your initial thoughts on transgender bathroom use intrigued me. There were some great arguments that helped me ground my own beliefs around the subject matter. A few that stood out to me:

Since when did public restrooms become a safe place for children and other vulnerable types?

Meanwhile, the more common safety issues related to public restroom usage, such as poor sanitation, communicable diseases, drug activity and theft are all but ignored.

Sending a child into a public restroom unsupervised is a bad choice.

Legislation doesn’t stop sexual predators.

Great point. What is the solution to your argument then? Fixing our mental health care system? There is always lots of work to be done in the world.

I really enjoy the way you write. I can hear your voice in the piece and I want to have a conversation with you about this, which is always a good sign. However, I am confused because the piece dramatically shifted from talking about bathroom use to breastfeeding in public. You had solid points for the issues presented, but they are issues the reader needs to digest separately in order to develop a complete thought for each one.

Thanks for writing and sparking my curiosity. Time to research microbes on public bathroom seat covers.

Cheers,

Hannah Meek
Sandpoint