Any loyal reader of RedState knows that I stand athwart laws that allow men into women’s restrooms. In terms of bad ideas, I think these are just the worst, and for obvious reasons. It’s not about trans people, so much as people who would pretend to be trans people in order to perv on women and girls at their most vulnerable, or worse. I don’t want to have to put myself in a position where I have to follow a guy into the restroom my girlfriend just went into, because statistically speaking, the guy probably isn’t trans. At less than 1% of the population, seeing an actual trans person is akin to seeing Amy Schumer actually being funny.

North Carolina did it right. They passed state law that stopped men from entering government or state restrooms and locker rooms, but at the same time kept their hands off of private businesses and properties. This is so that private businesses like Target could stupidly allow men into women’s restrooms, and we could smartly just not shop there.

Simple, right? The wall between government and private businesses isn’t breached, the will of the people is done, and our principles remain intact.

But then, Oxford Alabama had to take it too far.

Oxford took a good idea and made it into a bad one by passing a city ordinance that made it illegal for private businesses like Target, to allow men into women’s restrooms. If anyone is caught doing so, they could face up to six months in jail, or a $500 fine.

Now some of you might be behind this, and I can wholly understand why. Oxford just wants to keep people safe. I get it.

Problem is, in order to agree and support this ordinance, you have to leave your conservatism in the dirt. If we’re going to be the party that respects the rights of private entities – from the individual to the corporate – then we need to respect those rights even if we don’t agree with what they’re doing.

We didn’t like it when the government tried to intervene in Hobby Lobby‘s practices. We were righteously outraged when people tried to force bakers to make products or cater things that go against their beliefs. So we should be equally pissed when a government forces a private entity to conform to our beliefs.

If you, like me, don’t agree with Target’s decision to endanger the safety of the fairer sex, then hit them where it hurts by not shopping there. Forcing them to adhere to the way you think things should be so you can continue to shop there is no way to go.

It’s an odd sort of punishment to force someone to behave a certain way so you can give them more money.

I realize boycott’s rarely work, but that’s because people are rarely serious about them. Target has the misfortune of already being in decline financially, and added to the 1,000,000+ signatures garnered for the pledge to not shop at the store anymore, they’re looking at a serious loss. If we the people really want to show Target how we feel, then stick to your guns and don’t pass through their doors.

This is one of those times where you have to practice choosing liberty over authoritarianism on behalf of your fellow American, even if you don’t like what that liberty might allow.