The Patriot Post® · Bathroom Rules and Renovations

Not content to tell schools nationwide which bathrooms are open to which individuals, Barack Obama issued an edict this week opening all bathrooms in all federal facilities to transgendered people who don’t want to use the bathroom corresponding to their biological sex. Specifically, because a few of Obama’s agencies “have interpreted prohibitions against sex discrimination to include discrimination on the basis of gender identity, including transgender status,” that interpretation now by his decree applies to all federal facilities.

Congress isn’t taking Obama’s move without resistance, however. “First they target school bathrooms and healthcare professionals, and now the bathrooms of all federal buildings. Where does it stop?” asked Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX). “While the science is clear on gender, the Constitution is also clear on the role of Congress to pass laws, not the president. If President Obama wants to change the definition of the Civil Rights Act he MUST go through Congress. The Founding Fathers never intended unelected bureaucrats in federal agencies to make sweeping changes to the definition of gender.” Obama, for one, certainly doesn’t care what the Founders intended…

In related news, Target, which previously set its bathroom policy by the Obama standard, announced this week that it will spend $20 million to add private bathrooms to any stores that don’t already have them. The Wall Street Journal reports, “Target on Wednesday reported its first decline in same-store sales in two years and warned that sales could fall in each of the next two quarters, as it struggles with lower shopper traffic to its stores.” Sales were down 7.2%. Indeed, if the backlash from Americans who hold traditional values wasn’t significant, does anyone think Target would deem this major renovation worth the expense?

> Update: Obama’s school bathroom mandate was blocked by a federal judge Sunday. Like with his amnesty order, the end result doesn’t matter to Obama as long as he gets political credit for trying.