Texas 'bathroom bill' details to be unveiled today
- by Virginia Carter
- in World Media
- — Jan 6, 2017
Patrick says the bill will protect women from sexual predators and has explained the discrepancy by stating that "Men can defend themselves". "And I would hope most lawmakers could take a stand on the legislation and oppose it exclusively for those reasons". Their bathroom bill, HB2, also prevented transgenders from using the bathroom that corresponded to their gender identity.
The North Carolina legislation not only eliminated Charlotte's ordinance but also nullified local ordinances that extended protections for LGBT residents. While Patrick's office has yet to release details on the specific language of the bill, he's made clear in the past that it would dictate the use of public restrooms based on a person's gender at birth rather the one with which a person identifies.
Citing the defeat of the LGBT-inclusive HERO ordinance by voters in Houston in 2015, Patrick said that he was not aware of any businesses that refused to move to Houston because of the defeat of HERO, and even noted that the city is set to host this year's Super Bowl. Patrick's team has dismissed those estimates as "misinformation and fearmongering".
A gender-neutral bathroom sign is posted at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, United States on May 20, 2016. A similar piece of legislation died in committee a year ago, and the state's Democratic governor, Terry McAuliffe, has vowed to veto such bills. "Mere separation of the sexes should not be considered discrimination". "Transgender people are more likely to be the victims", he said in an interview.
Patrick leaned heavily on HERO's demise on Thursday in arguing that public opinion is on his side, but it remains unclear how far Patrick's proposal, which he's listed among his top legislative priorities, could go in the Republican-controlled Legislature. Meanwhile, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in December took a wait-and-see approach regarding the legislation. The fight over bathroom rights for transgender students escalated in Texas on Tuesday as Patrick urged schools to defy the Obama administration while parents of transgender children accused Republican leaders of stoking intolerance and making their kids targets for bullying.
Chuck Smith, CEO of Equality Texas, called the filing of SB 6 "simply unacceptable".
"Martin Luther King, Jr. said, 'Our lives begin to end the way we become silent on things that matter.' This legislation, the Texas Privacy Act, that Sen".
