The Bathroom: A Political Battleground

In this week’s news bite, xyza:news for kids is taking a closer look at North Carolina’s controversial “Bathroom Bill” and introducing a new section called, “xyza: words for kids”. We’re also putting the finishing touches on our next issue and look forward to sharing that with you soon!

Believe it or not, bathrooms have been a hotly debated topic in the United States. Across the country, public bathrooms have traditionally been separated, one for women and one for men, with a few for families. But which bathroom do you use if you are transgender?

In March, the state of North Carolina passed a law popularly known as the “Bathroom Bill” which prevents transgender people from using the bathroom of their choice. The passing of this law became a hugely debated topic: was it a law about privacy or discrimination? Pat McCrory, the Governor of North Carolina, defended the bill saying that it’s about privacy issues, but the U.S. Justice Department disagreed, saying it’s about discrimination.

So what’s happening now? The Governor of North Carolina and the U.S. Justice Department are suing each other and will be battling it out in court to see who is ultimately right.

Who else is voicing their opinions about this law? 130 CEOs from some of the largest companies in the world like Apple, Starbucks, Uber, Google, and Facebook have signed a letter asking Governor McCrory to remove the “Bathroom Bill”. And famous artists such as Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, and Bruce Springsteen, have all canceled their scheduled concerts in North Carolina to show North Carolina what they think of the bill.

What do you think?

xyza: words for kids

We’ve introduced some words in this news bite that might be new to your kids. Here’s a list of the words and brief definitions that we hope will deepen your conversations together.

Transgender: a person who is born a boy or girl, but feels differently on the inside and relates more to the opposite gender

Privacy: being left alone to do something you don’t want others to see or know about

Discrimination: Treating someone differently because of who he or she is

U.S. Justice Department: The group that enforces the United State’s laws