A Real Disaster

Dictionary.com defines disaster as

noun

1.

a calamitous event, especially one occurring suddenly and causing great loss of 

life, damage, or hardship, as a flood, airplane crash, or business failure.

I can think of many thing in my lifeime that are without a doubt considered disasters. There have been terrorist attacks, floods, Tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, fires, train wrecks, hurricanes, blizzards, horrific car wrecks.....the list goes on.

On a personal level, we've gone through cancer, sepsis, the death of loved ones, pulmonary embolisms, the pain of losing a child, job loss, homelessness and many other things we considered disastrous to our lives.

But, which public bathroom we are able to use when out and about has not one time presented itself as a disaster; not even a small one.

Bruce Jenner, a grown man who likes to dress up like a woman, has called it a "disaster" that President Trump reversed former President Obama's public school bathroom policy. He said, "This is a disaster." Read the article here. 

Contrary to what Bruce Jenner thinks, this is not a disaster. This definition of disaster minimizes the real disasters people actually face in life. Bruce Jenner is very privileged. He gets the opportunity to pose all sanctimoniously while defending something stupid while he acts all righteous and firm as though he's standing on something important.

I can tell you one thing for sure: one day he will meet his Maker face to face. Then he will know what a personal disaster really is. 

Be not deceived, God is not mocked. (Galatians 6:7)

~Tricia

Target Did Us A Favor

I saw and shared this article on Facebook the other day, but it calls for more attention than a simple Facebook post. The title of the article, Continuing to Stand for Inclusion, is misleading at best because, while Target is trying to appear "inclusive" they are really being very exclusive by this public announcement of their policy in this area. Their policy is not new, it's simply more well known now.

But, in all honesty. they did us a favor. By letting us know that the labels on their bathroom doors have no meaning, we are now fully informed and information is power. It has also brought awareness to the forefront .....awareness that Target has been a cesspool of abuse for a very long time. Read this list of offenses, dating back to 2014 to see for yourself.

Without Target's openness about their policy and their willingness to publicly emphasize it, we might actually feel safe in their stores. Now that we know they support the "peeping tom" mentality and are not even pretending to care about their patrons' safety, it's a huge relief.

A bathroom door label will not keep a predator out of a ladies bathroom any more than a sign that says "No guns allowed" will keep a shooter from using one to shoot people if he sets his mind to it. Department stores don't police their bathrooms and fitting rooms. It has been an honor system all along, and one which has failed as the above referenced articles show.

But, we can police our personal space, ourselves.

In today's world, with cultural norms being redefined by the world of sin, we have to decide for ourselves how we will function.  As the mom of 8 kids, I never let my kids go into a public bathroom alone until a certain age. Then, by that certain age, they had to take a sibling with them. If it was my boys, they had so many minutes to be back out or I would be coming in after them. I did not hesitate when needed. I never let my girls go to a public bathroom alone till they were in their teens and even then I was keeping a secret eye on who was going in and out of that facility. Had we walked into a ladies room to find a man, I would have walked my girls right back out and told them how inappropriate it was for a man to be in there and tell them how much he needed Jesus.

I'm not super surprised at Target's policy. They are the world. They are not going to have decent standards. They are not going to operate on an acceptable level. They have had Peeping Toms in their bathrooms and fitting rooms for years. I have never really felt safe from predatory eyes there.

I'm not excusing Target, either, I'm simply saying I don't expect them to have policies that line up with decency; I don't trust them to keep me or my family safe. I never have. It's my job to keep my family safe. That might mean I won't use public bathrooms in places like Target, or try on clothes there. It might mean I won't shop there at all.

One thing I know for sure: I will never expect a retail facility to keep my family safe.

Boycotting Target might make them pause for a minute about their policies, or it might even make them change their policies if they lose enough revenue. It's all about the bottom line, always. But, even if Target changes their policy to something we find more suitable, it does not guarantee our safety. No one is policing this.

And, it's not just Target. I have never seen a department store station a guard outside their bathrooms or fitting rooms. Target did us a favor by making it known that they are operating without morals and decency. This really is good information to know.

~Tricia