Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Monday 22 May 2017

Texas revives transgender

‘bathroom bill’ for public schools

WILL WEISSERT transgender people in the men’s restroom just off the
Associated Press country’s second-largest House floor before debate
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A state use public restrooms began in protest. With Re-
transgender “bathroom according to the gender publicans enjoying solid
bill” reminiscent of one in on their birth certificates majorities in both of Tex-
North Carolina that caused sailed through the Texas as’ legislative chambers,
a national uproar now ap- Senate months ago. A simi- though, such opposition
pears to be on a fast-track lar measure had stalled in was purely symbolic.Hous-
to becoming law in Texas the House, but supporters ton Democratic Rep. Sen-
— though it may only ap- late Sunday night used an fronia Thompson, one of
ply to public schools.A amendment to tack bath- the House’s longest-serving
In this March 24, 2017, file photo, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott talks and most-respected mem-
to reporters outside the White House in Washington. broader proposal man- room limits onto a separate
Associated Press dating that virtually all and otherwise unrelated bers, likened the new lan-
bill covering school emer- guage to when restrooms
gency operation plans for nationwide were segre-
things like natural disasters. gated by race.“Bathrooms
Republican Rep. Chris Pad- divided us then and bath-
die authored the hotly-de- rooms divide us now. Sepa-
bated language, saying it rate but equal is not equal
had “absolutely no intent” at all,” Thompson said,
to discriminate. drawing floor applause.
Under it, transgender stu- While Barack Obama was
dents at public and char- still president, the U.S. De-
ter schools would not be partment of Education
permitted to use the bath- tried to implement require-
room of their choice but ments that school districts
could be directed to sepa- nationwide allow trans-
rate, single-occupancy re- gender students to choose
strooms. campus bathrooms or
“It’s absolutely about child locker rooms they wished
safety,” said Paddie, from to use. Texas led a lawsuit
the East Texas town of challenging that directive
Marshall. “This is about ac- and a federal judge in Tex-
commodating all kids.”His as ordered it suspended.
change passed 91-50. Fi- President Donald Trump
nal House approval should then rescinded the order in
come Monday, sending February.Republican Gov.
the modified bill to the Greg Abbott has said he
Senate, which should eas- wants to sign a bathroom
ily support it. Texas’ legisla- bill into law. House Speaker
tive session ends May 29, Joe Straus, a Republican
but that’s plenty of time from San Antonio, has been
— even if the bathroom even more vocal opposing
bill is scaled-back enough one — saying it could hurt
to only affect the state’s a Texas economy that has
roughly 5.3 million public been among the country’s
school students, and not strongest in recent years.
the general public.“This Top firms, chambers of
amendment is the bath- commerce and lobby-
room bill and the bath- ists also have decried the
room bill is an attack on bathroom bill in all forms as
transgender people,” said bad for business. Many Hol-
Rep. Joe Moody, an El lywood actors and music
Paso Democrat. “Some stars have suggested state
people don’t want to ad- boycotts, and the NFL and
mit that because they NBA have expressed con-
are ashamed, and this is cerns about it passing —
shameful.”A small group even though Houston suc-
of Democratic women cessfully hosted this year’s
legislators went into the Super Bowl.q