Calif. Lawmakers OK Bill To Let Transgender Students Decide Restroom Preference
SACRAMENTO (AP) — State lawmakers are sending Gov. Jerry Brown a bill that would require California's public K-12 schools to let transgender students choose which restrooms they use and which school teams they join based on their gender identity instead of their chromosomes.
While some school districts around the country have implemented similar policies, the bill's author says AB1266 would mark the first time a state has mandated such treatment in statute.
The bill would give youths the right "to participate in sex-segregated programs, activities and facilities" based on their self-perception, regardless of their birth gender.
It sparked an impassioned debate on the Senate floor Wednesday about when transgender students' right to expression might conflict with other students' discomfort and right to privacy.
Opponents say the state is going too far.
(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
