As with most of my other classmates, I found myself at awe of that the position of the writer of this article took. Engie Salama, the writer of the article, overviews that new anti-discrimination laws in California make it illegal for employers to discriminate against transgender individuals. Salama asks the question, "Is it really necessary to create a law to expedite that transition?", and as an answer to her question, I state yes, it is necessary! It seems that legislation is one of the only ways for individuals to fight for their inherent rights. While I think this is an advancement in equal opportunities for people of all genders, she stated that "we should instead be more accepting of the people who aren’t as comfortable with working with people who identify as transgender. which I find to be alarming because that relates closely to a don't ask, don't tell mentality. By having a taboo of disclosing your identity because it might make other people uncomfortable, it reinforces the notion that to have things seem somewhat "normal", you have to please others by acting a certain way, even if that's not who you truly are.
While I understand that some people might be uncomfortable with working with someone that is transgender, it is probably because they don't know much about the LGBT community. Through interaction and education, one can learn that they are humans just like them. There is no need for alienation, and it is nobody's business to react negativity just because an individual identifies with a certain group.This article overall is just embarrassing and ignorant and I can't believe the Daily Trojan would publish this article because this reflects negatively on the university. USC is known for being such a diverse campus with students from all over the world and from different walks of life. Unfortunately, this article represents the opposite and I hope they issue a statement or completely retract this article.
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