Roy Exum: Yes, A Social Experiment

  • Tuesday, May 3, 2016
  • Roy Exum
Roy Exum
Roy Exum

JoeySalads, his screen name, is widely known for his funny pranks except for the fact he calls them “social experiments.” So while we are still on the transgender-restroom issue, our boy JoeySalads got a transgender friend to approve his attire before he tried his luck at entering women’s restrooms. I don’t think you’ll be real surprised at what really happened in this video. Click here to watch.

A reader writes, “Roy, I've certainly enjoyed some of your columns and appreciate your keeping the school situation on the public radar.  But I've got to say, your implications that LGBT folks are, at best, brainless twits, and at worst, pedophiles, is very sad and wrong.  Laws haven't yet stopped predators, these won't, and indeed they're not meant to. 

She added, “The purpose of these laws is to give small-minded, ostentatious Christians a bully pulpit to drape themselves in their own glory and call it morality, while marginalizing one of the last groups of people it is acceptable to marginalize.  I hope you'll step back and look again at this issue. While I don't know you personally, you are not a person I would have called small minded.”

I appreciated the note and the human concern that generated it. For the record I have never intentionally degraded any other person for their rights and their beliefs. I have gay and lesbian friends who will confirm that. When I say it is idiotic to allow a person who professes to be transgender to choose a restroom other than their birth gender, it is the notion I find that is idiotic, not the person.

It is also idiotic to me, one who believes in a majority vote and the combined voice of the people, to allow what is believed to be three-one hundredths of a percent to dictate how the other 99.7 percent of Americans respond to the hurt feelings of alternate-sex Americans.

I certainly believe any and all transgender, gay, lesbian or bisexual people should have a full and healthy life, along with an earned respect from every other American. Far from being marginalized, my common-sense meter tells me the majority of the people should make the rules and regulate the social standards – whatever they might be.  We don’t want to marginalize any group but we must follow the road most often traveled if this country is to thrive.

The fact Tennessee lawmakers just voted to allow professional counselors to not accept members of the LGBT community is to respect the counselor’s personal and professional freedom. A mere pinch of common sense assures me this will never be a problem unless GLBT zealot turns it into one. (Yes, I know more Christian zealots, too, so picking a fight is plumb easy.)

I cannot name one person who goes for counseling from any professional they dislike or, equally important, who doesn’t like them as a patient. It comes do to common sense and the key question: “Can I trust you??”

Exactly. Trust, understanding, and advice wouldn’t have a chance in any adverse scenario. I talked to a heterosexual counselor over the weekend and she assured me gender has nothing to do with how a doctor and a patient relate to one another.

“I have several gay and lesbian clients. I enjoy helping them immensely but, because I am married with children, there are parts of their sexuality I don’t understand. I think you might be surprised how little we talk about their sexual preference as compared to their day-to-day concerns.”

That makes complete sense to me. Let’s transpose it – if you were an openly gay man, I can almost promise you wouldn’t pick somebody like Billy Graham for counseling. That would be a huge mistake, because I think Billy Graham could show what God can do in any way of life. But the sheer thought of somebody pounding a Southern Baptist agenda on an alternate-sex client makes Tennessee’s new counseling law “a big bunch of nothing,” as far as I can see.

Many years ago, I went to a female counselor for pain-related issues and it was a mistake from the start. We didn’t connect and, when I admitted I doubted I would return when she asked, she began to cry. I tried to console her the rest of the session but it wasn’t going to work. I don’t know anything about her sexuality but this I do: she needed some counseling on how to be a better counselor.

I don’t think there are going to be any practical problems with Tennessee counselors treating anyone they sense that they cannot help. I don’t think many transgender people would consider talking to anyone about the challenges and issues who they didn’t believe was the best personal counselor for them. It doesn’t make sense, not at all. And, finally, I strongly believe when this ridiculous big to-do over nothing’s shelf-life expires, nobody in the LGBT community is going to charge into an inappropriate rest room in any state.

So that brings us to the Tale of the Bronze Rat. Over the Internet this weekend there appeared an anonymous story meant to delight us:

* * *

THE BRONZE RAT OF SAN FRANCISCO

A tourist walked into a Chinese curio shop in San Francisco. While looking around at the exotic merchandise, he noticed a very lifelike, life-sized, bronze statue of a rat. It had no price tag, but was so incredibly striking the tourist decided he must have it. He took it to the old shop owner and asked, "How much for the bronze rat?"

"Ahhh, you have chosen wisely! It is $12 for the rat and $100 for the story," said the wise old Chinaman.

The tourist quickly pulled out twelve dollars. "I'll just take the rat, you can keep the story".

As he walked down the street carrying his bronze rat, the tourist noticed that a few real rats had crawled out of the alleys and sewers and had begun following him down the street. This was a bit disconcerting so he began walking faster.

A couple blocks later he looked behind him and saw to his horror the herd of rats behind him had grown to hundreds, and they began squealing.

Sweating now, the tourist began to trot toward San Francisco Bay. Again, after a couple blocks, he looked around only to discover that the rats now numbered in the MILLIONS, and were squealing and coming toward him faster and faster.

Terrified, he ran to the edge of the Bay and threw the bronze rat as far as he could into the deep water. Amazingly, the millions of rats all jumped into the Bay after the bronze rat and were all drowned. The man walked back to the curio shop in Chinatown.

"Ahhh," said the owner, "You come back for story!"

"No sir," said the man, "I came back to see if you have a bronze (Democrat, Republican politician, politically correct person, illegal alien, refugee who refuses to work, healthy welfare recipient, Dallas Cowboys fan, etc.")

royexum@aol.com

Latest Headlines
Opinion
Democratic View On Top State Senate Issues - March 18, 2024
  • 3/18/2024

Campbell bill seeks to save lives by studying suicide trends in Tennessee 3 p.m. Senate Regular Calendar — SB 1787 , by Sen. Heidi Campbell, would require state health officials to produce ... more

The Odor Of Mendacity - And Response (2)
  • 3/16/2024

The Fulton County judge, Scott McAfee, overseeing the Fani Willis prosecution of Donald Trump and eighteen other defendants has spoken. In response to a motion by defendants to remove Willis ... more

Capitol Report From State Rep. Greg Vital For March 15
  • 3/15/2024

General Assembly confirms new Tennessee State Supreme Justice Members of the General Assembly confirmed the appointment of Mary L. Wagner to the Tennessee Supreme Court in a joint session ... more