SPRINGFIELD – Could Illinois be the next to follow the state of Washington's new policy concerning sex-specific bathrooms and showers?
One day after Christmas, Washington state quietly adopted a set of new policies regarding transgender individuals using sex-specific facilities. 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.
“To my knowledge, this is the first time in the country that there’s been a statewide effort to mandate all public accommodations cooperate with the gender identity concept that somebody declares,” Joseph Backholm, executive director of the Family Policy Institute of Washington, told The Daily Signal.
“This is the next step in this war on gender.”
The rules, which a state legislator told The Daily Signal 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.”
If another student expresses concern about sharing a sex-specific facility with transgender individuals, the policy says the student “should be directed to a separate or gender neutral facility, if available.”
The Washington State Human Rights Commission has not yet posted the final rules online. The commission also could not be reached for comment.
More at The Daily Signal
