California Assembly Passes Transgender Bill Allowing Student Choice on
Bathroom, Sports Team
By _Alex Murashko_ (http://www.christianpost.com/author/alex-murashko/) ,
Christian Post Reporter
May 10, 2013|7:56 am
Transgender students in _California_
(http://www.christianpost.com/region/california/) are one step closer to
playing on their school's one-sex
_sports_ (http://www.christianpost.com/topics/sports/) team of choice or have
access to a bathroom based on their chosen _gender_
(http://www.christianpost.com/topics/gender/) identity, not their physical sex
at birth. The state
Assembly passed a bill Thursday that would mandate school districts allow
transgender students their choice.
Sponsored by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) Assembly Bill 1266
is aimed at prohibiting "discrimination against transgender students" in the
state's school districts, Ammiano said.
Several school districts, including in Los Angeles and San Francisco,
already have policies that allow students to participate in activities and use
facilities for the gender they identify with, according to local news
reports. Should the bill also pass in the state's Senate and signed by the
governor, it would ensure that all students have equal access, according to
Ammiano.
"I do not believe that by allowing individuals of opposite sex to use the
same restrooms makes any sense at all, and I think the vast majority of
Californians deeply oppose this," said Assemblyman Tim Donnelly (R-Twin Peaks)
as reported by The Sacramento Bee.
Curt Hagman (R-Chino Hills) said the bill doesn't make practical sense,
especially in consideration of middle and high school students changing and
showering in a locker room, the Bee stated in its article.
However, Ammiano has been standing firm on his bill, including writing an
op-ed last month in which he admits that some students might be uneasy about
new transgender allowances for school sports teams and bathrooms.
"Will transgender students make some other children uncomfortable?
Perhaps," Ammiano wrote. "I don't want to minimize that, but new experiences
are
often uncomfortable. That can't be an excuse for prejudice."
The California Catholic Conference voiced opposition to the bill, according
to the Los Angeles Times, saying it was not needed because there are laws
preventing discrimination against transgender students already in place.
"Our legislature tends to get involved in things that are better handled in
local school districts," said Carol Hogan, a spokeswoman for the
conference. "One size does not fit all."
The bill is sponsored by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, Equality
California, Transgender Law Center and Gay Straight Alliance Network.
The Capitol Resource Institute, a family values advocacy group based in
Sacramento, opposes Ammiano's measure, calling it a "radical policy" on
schools, according to the Bee.
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