Italy: Transgender MP in toilet fracas

Let this confused fellow have his pee-pee whacked off and restructured, then maybe he can use the women's room. Until then, he's not a woman, he's a transvestite male.

Even after an "operation," he wouldn't be a female, he'd be a mutilated male. He'd still have male chromosomes in every cell of his body.

The MP would have been picked by his/hers/its party. Each party gets to appoint so many MPs on the basis of percentage vote (above a quite low threshold).

This is the problem with "proportional representation." The "elected" official has no loyalty to the voters, but only to the Party boss who put them on the ballot.

You're right about PR where the parties select from their lists. Here in BC, there was a referendum a couple of years ago on a different type of PR. It was specifically designed to avoid party lists, and to strengthen the accountability of elected representatives to their voters, rather than to their respective parties. It got nearly 2/3 Yea votes -- but needed over 66%, because it was considered to amount to a constitutional change. Something like it will likely come up again soon.

The form of PR that we were asked to vote on would have involved larger ridings -- so that (say) four Members of the Legislative Assembly would be elected in one riding. This would have allowed fairer representation than the current case, as the number of MLAs elected would be closer to their popular support. As it is now, many (sometimes most) MLAs are elected with under 50% of the vote -- sometimes under 40%. The reason being that we have several parties, combined with a "first past the post" system.

All major political parties (i.e. the ones with any chance of forming government) in North America are coalitions, involving a lot of back-room deals and horse-trading. This explains the lack of coherence in party platforms -- each party has to appease every member of the coalition. In PR, these compromises and deal-making are more transparent to the voter.

>> Let this confused fellow have his pee-pee whacked off and restructured, then maybe he can use the women's room. Until then, he's not a woman, he's a transvestite male.

> Even after an "operation," he wouldn't be a female, he'd be a mutilated male. He'd still have male chromosomes in every cell of his body.

You're correct, of course. I just meant, let him demonstrate some serious desire to stop being a man. He can't change his chromosomes, but if he voluntarily gives up his d1ck, maybe I'd be willing to let him use the womens' room, assuming the women don't mind.

If he wants to pee where the women pee, then I say let him pee like a woman. Fair's fair.

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