Students outcry after Tracy Murphree’s transgender comments

Adalberto Toledo | Senior Staff Writer

@aldot29

Republican candidate for Denton County Sheriff Tracy Murphree’s recent outburst against transgender individuals using public bathrooms has inspired students to speak out.

Tracy Murphree

“If my little girl is in a public women’s restroom and a man, regardless of how he may identify, goes into the bathroom, he will then identify as a John Doe until he wakes up in whatever hospital he may be taken to,” Murphree said in a Facebook post.

The post, no longer visible on Murphree’s Facebook page, was publicized by the Dallas Observer and Denton Record-Chronicle, where it created a buzz in local circles as the candidate moves closer to the general election against libertarian candidate Randy Butler.

Murphree had a wave of momentum helping him beat incumbent Will Travis for the Denton County Sheriff spot on Super Tuesday. International studies senior Reece Frew said Murphree’s comments were unwarranted, “screwed up” and even “toxic.”

“I feel like it’s literally him fantasizing about beating up transsexual people,” Frew said. “Our last sheriff was pretty bad, but I think if you say something like this you shouldn’t even be considered for sheriff.”

Screenshot of post that sparked the initial buzz.

Murphree could not be reached for comment.

After retailer Target announced it would allow employees and customers to choose the restroom and fitting room corresponding to their gender identity, the country was thrust into a debate on transgender issues. Some are afraid the new rule will allow men to enter women’s restrooms and sexually assault them, and that people should go into the restroom that corresponds to sex at birth instead of gender.

Anairis Alvarez Vega, international studies junior, said the debate is only the result of a lack of education and awareness of sexuality and gender identities.

“I think people can get scared of something they don’t know about,” Alvarez Vega said. “I feel like there is a lot of fear around being sexually assaulted in restrooms if we were to suddenly let men and women use the same bathrooms.”

Some students feel that just because restrooms are separated by gender does not mean it would prevent a sex-offender from assaulting someone. They added that the comments made by Murphree should be considered a hate crime.

Under the Texas Hate Crimes Act, a hate crime is defined as “a crime that is motivated by prejudice, hatred, or advocacy of violence.” Federal law further defines hate crimes as “crimes that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity or disability.”

The nuanced definition of a hate crime by Texas law leads to the underreporting of gender identity-biased offenses in the state. A Texas Monthly article on the issue said the small number of these offenses reported — 33 of 7,242 hate crime victims in 2013 — are impossible given the news stories and reports released in that year that give much higher numbers.

“[Murphree] sounds like he’s pretty protective of his daughter,” Alvarez Vega said. “If a transgender woman uses the same bathroom as his daughter and he decides to assault that woman, he’s technically saying he’s willing to fight a woman.”

Alvarez Vega’s friend, Gabby Estringel an education junior agrees, and feels the sheriff should not be allowed to run anymore.

“I think he shouldn’t be our sheriff,” Estringel said. “Someone who might wield such huge power should not be saying such aggressive things.”

Estringel added that although she could not vote in the primary, her vote will be for Murphree’s opponent, the Libertarian party nominee Butler.

“There’s clearly still a lot of education that needs to happen around this issue if he’s saying stuff like this,” Estringel said. “There’s nothing stopping someone from going into a bathroom right now and molesting someone. Just because you’re transgender doesn’t mean you’re a molester or a pedophile like he insinuates.”