I fail to understand the problem with transgender people using the bathroom. I genuinely want to know why critics think transgender people are conspiring in some evil plot. Gloucester High School in Gloucester County, Va. seems to think there must be some mischievous scheme; the school has barred transgender students from using the public restroom that matches their gender identity. This specifically targets student Gavin Grimm, who was born female and identifies as male. Grimm sued the school and won a court order that allowed to him to use any bathroom thanks to Title IX, but recently the Supreme Court blocked this court order.

I think the problem stems from the fact that some people are ignorant to the daily injustices endured by transgender people. Male to female transgender people are not dressing in drag, and female to male transgender people are not merely exploring their “masculine side.” These are common simplifications of gender identity. These individuals do not feel comfortable living as the biological sex they were born with. But critics refuse to empathize, due to a lack of personal experience and societal rejection of the unorthodox.

Consider former presidential candidate Ted Cruz, for example.

“You don’t have a right to intrude upon the rights of others because whether or not a man believes he’s a woman, there are a lot of women who would like to be able to use a public restroom in peace without having a man there,” Cruz said.

The problem is, it is not a man using the women’s bathroom. It is a woman using the women’s bathroom. It is not their responsibility to change their whole lifestyle so they can use the other restroom for someone else’s comfort. They are changing their lifestyle for their own good, because that is the only thing that feels natural. As long as they are not harming anyone, why is it anyone’s say to tell them which bathroom they can and cannot use?