By Tim Arnett
WABASH,Indiana – Lorissa Sweet, who will be the Wabash County Council’s newest Councilwoman next year, has created a petition called “Protect Our Children MSD Wabash” which aims to convince the MSD School Board to ignore President Obama’s “mandate” on transgendered individuals using the bathroom or locker room of the gender they identify with in schools. The online petition, which has 420 signatures as of Sunday evening, can be found on ipetitions.com or on the Lorissa Sweet for Wabash County Council Facebook page.
In a conversation with MiBash News, Sweet said that she is concerned that her three girls, all of whom attend MSD, will be confronted with a boy showering next to them or using the same bathroom at a sporting event. And the latter is exactly what Sweet said happened to her daughter last Thursday at a track meet on the Indiana Wesleyan University campus.
Sweet during her 2016 primary election campaign for county council.
She said that her daughter experienced a boy using the girl’s bathroom. Sweet admitted that it is unknown if the boy was transgendered and MiBash News cannot independently confirm whether the incident happened. One source contacted MiBash News doubting the story, essentially suggesting that it is fortuitous timing because the incident came one day after Sweet started her online petition.
She noted that she plans giving a presentation on the issue at the next MSD board meeting this Tuesday. Sweet went on to say that she and Superintendent Dr. Sandra Weaver have had a “good discussion” on the issue. But Sweet said that MSD is “walking on egg shells” hoping that the situation of male transgendered students in girl’s bathroom – or vice versa – simply doesn’t arise.
Sweet added that the petition is not meant to threaten the schools but, instead, show the public sentiment in the area on the issue. Sweet said that the ultimate responsibility to reject the “mandate” is on Governor Pence.
MiBash News reached out to several people to hear the other side of the issue but was unsuccessful finding any individuals willing to speak publicly in support of the so-called mandate in general or against Sweet’s petition in particular.
camsgibs@indiana.edu.
I would love to represent an opposing side. Email me and inform me when and where. Thank you.
Cameron Gibson.
I would love to be put into contact with someone to speak against this petition. I have wrote an article and would love for it to be published or be considered to talk on Mibash about the harm this petition could cause to transgendered students.
I must ask that research be conducted before any rulings are made. Transgender persons understandably refrain from open discussions of this issue. Research has shown there have been no attacks reported upon females by transgender persons in bathroom or locker rooms. Transgender persons understandably suffer greatly from making this transition and too often have tried suicide. We must think of everyone here as valuable human beings worthy of their very lives. Please do not fall victim to tactics designed to separate us from each other in fearful judgement. We must work together on larger issues instead of focusing on inflaming nonexistent problems.