Recently Harvard Divinity School posted signage outside one of its bathrooms advertising it as transgender/omnigender friendly. The sign inclusively included icons for male, female, and a combo of the two, plus handicapped. Harvard Divinity proudly tweeted its embrace of gender fluidity.
“Awesome!” tweeted back Reconciling Ministries Network, the unofficial LGBTQ caucus of United Methodism. Awesome indeed.
They say that, historically, what happens in Harvard’s bathrooms will soon sweep bathrooms nationwide! So expect gender neutral bathroom justice to spread as the urgent cause du jour among justice-minded United Methodists.
After all, how much longer can we tolerate gender exclusivity in our church bathrooms? United Methodist seminaries will be the first to embrace this crusade. Likely some have already. If so, they should claim public credit! Surely Claremont, Iliff and Drew will not close their bathrooms to anyone based on a mere social construct.
And bishops need to speak out too. Not just speak, but also act! Look for Bishop Melvin Talbert to courageously enter a women’s room, and Bishop Minerva Carcano to storm a men’s room. God is doing a new thing!
Will the next General Conference offer bathroom equality to the transgender/transsexual/omnigender community? Or will it remain chained to the oppressive mindsets of the past?
Confession: At the 1996 General Conference in Denver I may have unconsciously but prophetically foreshadowed transgender bathroom inclusion when I inadvertently entered a women’s room at the convention center, chasing out women entering behind me, until I embarrassingly realized the stifling reality. In a moment of true shalom, of course, the ladies and I would have joined arms TOGETHER to claim that space for all persons, irrespective of gender.
As bathroom gender equality spreads like revival throughout United Methodism, it will become a source of increasing division between the reactionary and enlightened wings of the church. Adam Hamilton, in pursuit of church unity, will amicably propose a local option policy on gender neutral bathrooms. Local congregations, and annual conferences, can decide for themselves whether to truly make their bathrooms open to ALL people. That way, the divisive issue of bathroom access will not distract from ministry, until a new generation emerges for whom inclusive bathrooms are no longer an issue.
So full inclusion of all genders in all bathrooms will eventually prevail, bringing greater heights of justice, grace and true equality to United Methodism and, hopefully, all of Christendom, and the world. Until every bathroom is fully open to every gender, the very stones will cry out! The Kingdom will not be stopped!
Some day we all will be truly liberated from archaic religious teachings, from nature, from physical reality, and each of us can instead be a self generated hologram that projects our own imagination and desires over all else. Such truth will make us free indeed. Awesome!
Comment by Nick Porter on October 5, 2014 at 7:06 pm
Shameful.
Comment by Dan Horsley on October 5, 2014 at 8:33 pm
Liberalism really is a mental illness. As a conservative, I operate on the principle, If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Nothing wrong with having separate restrooms for men and women – except that the “trans” crowd started feeling “excluded,” and the PC poseurs realized this was another opportunity for them to appear “sensitive” and “inclusive.”
Comment by mnhb212 on October 8, 2014 at 10:03 am
If they don’t know which rest room to use, have them look under their skirts or whatever type of clothing they are wearing. That will tell them very graphically which bathroom to go in.
Comment by localhistorywriter on October 9, 2014 at 9:06 pm
Maybe not, at the college near me I’m not always sure which males are really male any more, and maybe they’re not either.
Comment by mnhb212 on October 10, 2014 at 10:20 am
But they still have the genetalia that shows which gender they are.
Comment by Diane Hawk on October 5, 2014 at 9:22 pm
In the early 1980’s the church I served voted to identify one restroom as a handicapped restroom available to BOTH genders. Since it was a one-seater, there was never any problem. I think this is much ado about nothing.
Comment by lcham678 on October 6, 2014 at 7:54 am
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/386787/feminist-gay-activist-pushing-keep-bathrooms-gender-segregated-katherine-timpf
Comment by Fran Brunson on October 6, 2014 at 9:35 am
You’re correct, having a handicapped restroom available to both genders is not a problem, but the fact that unisex restrooms have become a “cause” for the religious left, now that is a problem, a classic case of majoring in minors. The vast majority of men and women have no desire to share restroom facilities with the opposite sex, so it’s hard to see that pushing for unisex facilities advances the cause of “justice.”
Comment by John S. on October 9, 2014 at 10:27 am
These generally are one seaters but rather the restroom for the building or area.
Comment by shanea7 on October 5, 2014 at 11:26 pm
Best article ever. “Self generated holograms that projects our own imagination…” When a church becomes its own parody.
Comment by Carlos IMG on October 7, 2014 at 7:54 am
Not all the loons in the world have feathers.
Comment by Paul Hoskins on October 7, 2014 at 10:59 am
That 3rd figure, the “half-skirt,” is so funny. Who is that supposed to represent? Never saw a human being with that profile.
Way to go Harvard, you sure know what’s important in our culture.
Comment by Jeffrey Olah on October 8, 2014 at 7:53 am
let the half and half use the womens bathroom and we’ll see how that works out
Comment by Jeffrey Olah on October 8, 2014 at 8:00 am
if the LBGTQ community is so passionate about this cause…they should go to their local mosque and protest
Comment by mnhb212 on October 8, 2014 at 9:52 am
I assume (hope) this article is tongue in cheek but truthfully , I am afraid that it is not.
Comment by underground pewster on October 8, 2014 at 11:41 am
Plumbing contractors are eagerly anticipating a flush of orders for these new facilities.
Comment by localhistorywriter on October 9, 2014 at 9:08 pm
Bad – but gave you an upvote anyway!
Comment by MatWeller on October 8, 2014 at 2:12 pm
So many actual problems in the world and you choose to dog whistle this one… You could have written about the 25% of American children that are homeless and hungry. Or about how our government is killing innocent people overseas by the dozens daily. Or how environmental devastation is going to leave about 20 people alive for Jesus to come back to. But you had to get out, “They’re coming for our potties!”Enjoy your Pullitzer.
Comment by John S. on October 9, 2014 at 10:30 am
And none of those issues are dealt with anywhere on the web. Mr. Tooley’ input, someone who specializes in UMC and religion, would be so influential on any of those areas since it seems those who lack knowledge, discernment and expertise are the ones who kill the most trees and electrons pontificating on them.
Comment by MatWeller on October 9, 2014 at 10:35 am
THEY’RE COMING FOR OUR POTTIES!
Comment by John S. on October 9, 2014 at 10:41 am
Thank you for proving my point.
Comment by Carlos M on October 9, 2014 at 11:53 am
Very witty, ha ha.
Comment by Carlos M on October 9, 2014 at 11:53 am
If you feel strongly about the homeless and hungry, then go do something about it. Instead, you’re trolling Christian websites. “So many actual problems in the world,” and here you are camped out on the Web, scolding others, instead of doing something about those problems.
See – cuts both ways, doesn’t it?
Comment by MatWeller on October 9, 2014 at 12:13 pm
Glad to know I’ll be seeing you at the shelter this evening! Bring an extra crock pot if you’ve got one, we’re going to need it. And when you need to use the bathroom, you can choose any that are available, don’t you worry.
Comment by Brian Bowen on October 9, 2014 at 2:14 pm
Nothing personal, Mat, but people like you are the reason a lot of people departed the left-wing churches and joined Christian churches. I’ve attended both, the combination of snarkiness and self-righteousness on the left is just too much for a Christian to handle. You are so far removed from the agape love described in 1 Corinthians 13, it’s like a different universe. I suspect the “Christians” you hobnob with are so in sync with each other that you don’t have a clue how you appear to outsiders. The most intolerant fundamentalists in America are on the religious left, no contest.
Comment by MatWeller on October 9, 2014 at 2:38 pm
I’m not sure what a “left-wing” church is. I’ve been a Methodist all my life. Everybody is welcome at the Lord’s table in my church. Everybody’s opinions are up for discussion. In all of my years in various United Methodist churches, I’ve never heard the signage of the Harvard bathrooms come up once.
I honestly couldn’t care less if someone has an opinion on it. My initial supposition was simply a question of value: where is the effort best spent? Shall we worry about an Ivy Leaguer’s sheepish worry that the stall door isn’t secret enough to hide their gender bits from people relieving their bowels in the next space, or can we prioritize serving our brothers and sisters?
Comment by localhistorywriter on October 9, 2014 at 9:07 pm
Deeeeeep
Comment by localhistorywriter on October 9, 2014 at 9:07 pm
What is your point? Our country is killing innocent people overseas, therefore Christians are not allowed to express our opinions on unisex restrooms?
That makes no sense.
Comment by John S. on October 9, 2014 at 10:26 am
To think, this once might have been seen as satire.
Comment by Brian Bowen on October 9, 2014 at 2:14 pm
What was satire 10 years ago is news today.
Comment by localhistorywriter on October 9, 2014 at 9:05 pm
Harvard, the intellectual beacon of this great country….
Sheesh
Comment by Allen Rancki on March 15, 2016 at 6:22 pm
I find it typical that a male could celebrate selectively ignoring the weakest among us and ignore the major religion’s traditions of modesty in order to glorify unisex bathrooms? (locker rooms and showers,too?) Separate and equal bathroom facilities for those with gender dysphoria are common sense. As are separate and equal facilities for girls and women of modesty and girls and women suffering with phallophobia and/or PTSD brought on by male sexual assault. Your article is simply evidence; you don’t give a damn about the weak and hurting. Shame on you. Put your sensitivity hat on and find compassion for the least of these.