Arkansas Transgender Bill Heads to Governor Huckabee-Sanders

trans-bathroom

Transgender people at Arkansas public schools would not be able to use restrooms that correspond with their gender identity under a bill lawmakers sent to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday.  The bill approved by the majority-Republican House applies to multi-person restrooms and locker rooms at public schools and charter schools serving prekindergarten through 12th grades. The House, which approved an earlier version of the bill last month, passed the bill on a 77-15 vote without any debate.  The proposal is among dozens of bills proposed this year targeting transgender people, who have also faced increasingly hostile rhetoric at statehouses.  Teachers, principals and superintendents who violate the measure could face fines from a state panel, and parents could file lawsuits to enforce the restriction.  Sanders’ office did not say whether the Republican governor planned to sign the legislation. Alexa Henning, a spokeswoman, said Sanders “would sign a law that focuses on protecting and educating our kids, not indoctrinating them.”  Opponents of the bill said the restriction would further marginalize and risk transgender youth at schools, and urged Sanders to veto it.