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TexasTowelie

(111,300 posts)
Sun Apr 30, 2017, 06:11 AM Apr 2017

House Bathroom Bill Would Undo Houston, HISD, UH Protections

An anti-transgender bathroom bill moving through the Texas House would undo nondiscrimination protections enacted by the City of Houston, the Houston Independent School District, the University of Houston, and other local entities, according to LGBT advocates.

House Bill 2899, by state representative Ron Simmons (R-Carrollton), would bar cities, school districts, and other political subdivisions of the state from enforcing laws that protect a class of people against discrimination by granting them access to multi-occupancy restrooms, locker rooms, or showers.

Simmons is touting HB 2899 as an alternative to Senate Bill 6, the anti-trans bathroom bill championed by lieutenant governor Dan Patrick that would expressly prohibit trans people from accessing restrooms in government buildings based on their gender identity. But LGBT advocates point out that, like SB 6, Simmons’ bill would preempt nondiscrimination laws and policies covering millions of Texas residents and students.

“Ultimately, it seems like Texas is engaged in the same process that North Carolina was engaged in after [they passed House Bill 2], which is trying to figure out how much discrimination is the right amount for Texas,” said Kathryn Oakley, senior legislative council for the Human Rights Campaign, referring to the 2016 anti-trans bathroom bill that cost the Tarheel State’s economy hundreds of millions of dollars.

Read more: http://www.outsmartmagazine.com/2017/04/house-bathroom-bill-would-undo-houston-hisd-uh-protections/

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