Florida is set to be the first state to restrict bathrooms and changing rooms to a person’s biological sex.
The Safety in Private Spaces Act affects all schools, prisons, and government buildings. But it provides exemptions for the chaperones of young kids, work-related violations, and if a same-sex facility is out of order.
The bill only needs the governor’s signature to become law.
Predictably, LGTBQ advocates have protested the bill, saying it is dehumanizing for transgender people and unfairly targets them. In what might seem like a hypocritical move, these social warriors protested last month by dumping underwear onto the House floor.
But the move didn’t sway the bill’s sponsor. Representative Rachel Plakon says history shows “that separate facilities work.”
Meanwhile, State Senator Erin Grall said yesterday that “there’s not anything in the language of this bill that is targeting any specific group.”
Grall also pushed her education bill yesterday that bans gender identity discussions under 8th grade. It would also protect free speech rights for employees and students when using pronouns.