With all this talk out of Olympia about the 'transgender bathroom laws,' there's a lot of confusion. What exactly does the new law stipulate? How will it affect businesses or even schools? We take a look at what it says.

*The rules are still being reviewed for final drafts, specific wording etc. But here is the crux of them, as enacted by the Washington State Human Rights Commission the day after Christmas 2015. According to The Daily Signal from the Heritage Foundation:

"The rules, adopted by the state Human Rights Commission, make it illegal for business owners to limit sex-specific facilities such as bathrooms, showers, and locker rooms to persons with the anatomical parts of one sex."

*So, that means a business cannot have restrooms or locker rooms designated 'Men' or 'Women' only.  More from the Daily Signal:

"The rules, which took effect on Dec. 26, apply to businesses with eight or more employees. They also dictate that schools should “allow students to use the restroom that is consistent with their gender identity” and in most cases, give transgender students “access to the locker room that corresponds to their gender identity.”

*So, if a business employs 8 or more people, this will become a requirement. How the commission arrived at the number 8 isn't known. It will also allow schools to provide students, if they see a need, access to the locker room they most commonly identify with. Unlike businesses, however, the law allows schools to review these situations on a case by case basis.

The rules, according to the Family Policy Institute of Washington, also prohibit a business from creating a 'third' or separate facility for such individuals:

"The new rule specifically prohibits businesses and schools from creating a separate, gender neutral facility for use by those who prefer not to use the bathroom for their gender."

*So, if a business owner is wary of allowing people to access bath or locker rooms of the opposite sex, they still must allow persons to use the facility 'of their choice.'

This situation isn't brand new, it dates back well into 2014-15. In fact, last summer the YMCA of Kitsap County quietly changed it's policies to allow transgender men to access women's locker and dressing rooms.  However, it backfired when the news became public, and numerous families and individuals even cancelled their memberships.

The YMCA then rescinded the policy, but backtracked again, reinstating the transgender locker room procedures. The movement eventually spread to the Human Rights Commission, and now the rules are in place.

The rules are in place now, so it is presumed soon businesses with 8 or more employees will be receiving information, if not already, from the state about how they must designate their restroom and locker room facilities from now on.

A bill in the state House overturning these rules never made it out of committee, and a Senate bill failed to pass by one vote, so the rules-for now-are here to stay.

 

 

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