I’ve read Ted Bennett’s letter to the editor (Feb. 15), declaring that his opposition to transgender access to restrooms is somehow justified because women who have been sexually assaulted can’t be in close proximity to men without suffering extreme anxiety and feelings of panic.

I was wondering if we shouldn’t extend the concern to include supermarkets, since those aisles can be narrow and that might put women in close proximity to a biological man. Then there are movie theaters, public transportation, city streets, restaurants and coffee shops, especially those with counter seating …

I am not unsympathetic to the feelings of women who have been assaulted, as I know way too many who have been raped, both as children and adults. But I can’t help feeling that Mr. Bennett’s concern is motivated at least in some small part by his own discomfort with the idea of transgender people.

Perhaps he did not have the opportunity to read that wonderful lead story you printed Feb. 7 about that sweet young girl who bravely shared her story with us (“Becoming Lucy”).

I would hope that Mr. Bennett and others who think like him get the opportunity to learn about exactly what it means to be transgender and then look to themselves for any signs of prejudice that may be contributing to the discomfort they feel about transgender people.

Linda Pankewicz

Raymond

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