Transgender Bathroom Reversal Bill Passes First Hurdle in State Senate

Before bills can be voted on, whether it's Olympia or Washington D.C. - or the City Council for that matter sometimes-they have to clear preliminary committees. A State Senate proposal that would strike down the state's transgender bathroom rules has done just that.

By a vote of 4-3, the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee approved the bill, it will now head to the Senate for a full vote. Democrats Bob Hasegawa of Seattle and Steve Conway of Tacoma voted against it, saying it circumvented the Human Rights Commission. However, Committe Chairman Mike Baumgartner (GOP-Spokane) said anyone who read into the bill as being a "judgement" of the transgender community is wrong.

He agrees with other leaders who say the transgender rule was a serious overstepping of boundaries by the Human Rights Commission. They point to the way the Human Rights Commission quietly, almost sneakily, passed the new set of laws the day after Christmas, with very little public input or publicity.

That alone, say the critics, shows the Commission knew it was treading on thin ice with such a controversial and bold move, besides seriously overstepping their bounds toward the non-transgender community.

Most of the comments from the general community on the matter reflect a belief that transgender people have been using their bathrooms of choice for years, and why waste taxpayer money and legislative time making a 'big deal' out of the situation. Even members of the transgender community acknowledge there has been very few issues over the years.

Supporters say it will help the public to be more acceptive of such individuals. Critics say it's just another way the non-transgender community is being forced to accept and condone lifestyles they don't agree with-especially for religious or theological reasons.

Others have voiced concerns that pointing a lot of attention to such facilities will actually make it more difficult for transgender individuals, as it could result in increased resistance from those who are not supportive of that lifestyle.

Some parents are concerned that while the state laws are not legally binding towards schools, public and private districts are now fully allowed to create their own procedures towards such facilities. These parents are worried young students may not be able to fully understand the 'adult' concepts of transgender, making for difficult and awkward situations.