Arkansas Bans Transgender People From Using School Restrooms That Match Their New Gender Identity
Arkansas Governor Signed Law Banning Transgender People In Public Schools From Using Restrooms That Match Their Gender Identity and is expected to soon also criminalize the trans community in the use of public restrooms
Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a law banning school-age trans children from using bathrooms that match their chosen gender identity.
The bill, which Affecting Public Schools Statewide, signed into law Tuesday (March 21), makes Arkansas the fourth US state to impose anti-trans toilet laws on students.
In addition, analysts say, this order could be followed by an even stricter Arkansas bill criminalizing transgender adults who use public restrooms that match their new gender identity.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill into law that bars transgender students from using restrooms that do not align with the sex listed on their birth certificate, the latest in a series of GOP-led efforts to restrict LGBTQ rights in schools. https://t.co/DwGpW5yNkl
— KWWL (@KWWL) March 22, 2023
For now, the Arkansas law, which won't take effect until later this summer, applies to multi-person restrooms and locker rooms in public schools and schools serving pre-kindergarten through grade 12. The Republican-led Legislature gave final approval to the bill last week.
“The Governor has said she will sign laws that focus on protecting and educating our children, not indoctrinating them, and believes our schools are no place for the radical left's awakening agenda… Arkansas is not going to rewrite the rules of biology just to please a handful of far-left advocates,” said Alexa Henning, a spokeswoman for Sanders.
Opponents of the law say it singles out transgender students and underscores the state's aversion to trans and LGBTQ+ communities in general.
Paul Castillo, senior counsel and strategist for student rights students from the LGBTQ+ rights organization Lambda Legal, said: “The entire school population suffers as a result of these types of bills, particularly the schools, teachers and administrators who face real problems and need to focus on creating a welcoming environment for every student.”