Fox & Friends continued its bizarre attack on Illinois State University for designating gender-neutral restrooms, but even a group of “Fox fans” didn't seem fazed by the school's attempt to accommodate LGBT students.
Illinois State University recently announced that it would be relabeling several of its single-stall “family” restrooms on campus as “all-gender” restrooms. Though the decision won't alter the functionality of any of the restrooms, the move is meant to accommodate transgender and gender-variant students, who often face harassment and even violence in public restrooms. All-gender restrooms will be identified by a new sign that “will include a symbol of a half of a man and half of a woman.”
On July 9, the cast of Fox & Friends mocked the decision, calling the new sign confusing and blaming the change on the “P.C. police.”
On July 10, Fox & Friends continued its criticism of the university's decision. Co-host Steve Doocy produced a massive mock-up of an “all-gender” sign and asked a group of “Fox fans” outside the studio what they thought the sign meant.
But none of the fans, including a young boy, seemed to share Doocy's confusion or outrage over the sign:
The exchange was an awkward moment for Doocy, who was seemingly hoping to get a more negative reaction from the “Fox fans.” One chyron during the segment read “Bathroom Boondoggle: Are New Gender Signs Just Too Confusing?”:
Doocy's co-hosts seemed equally surprised at the “Fox fans” unfazed reaction. Brian Kilmeade admitted “they're better people than us. I could not figure it out and we had the story in front of us. It makes no sense.”
Designating gender-neutral bathrooms is not an unusual practice. Many colleges and universities have adopted gender-neutral facilities in order to better accommodate the demands of growing LGBT student populations. Such basic adjustments might cause havoc and confusion on the set of Fox & Friends, but in the outside world, even “Fox fans” can't figure out what the big deal is.