Alabama lawmakers advance transgender students bathroom ban

https://www.npr.org/2022/02/23/ [login to see] /alabama-lawmakers-advance-transgender-students-bathroom-ban
Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday night approved legislation that would bar transgender students from using school bathrooms and locker rooms that match their current gender identity.

The bill mandates K-12 schools require students to use multi-person restrooms and locker rooms that match the sex on their original birth certificate. The Alabama House of Representatives voted 74-24 for the bill after two hours of contentious debate where Republicans said it would address an ongoing problem in public schools but opponents said it targets trans youth to score political points. The bill now moves to the Alabama Senate.

"Right now, you've got males who are dressing up as females, who are identifying themselves as females, and wanting to use the female bathrooms," Republican Rep. Scott Stadthagen of Hartselle told lawmakers.

Stadthagen said some schools are now being asked to accommodate transgender students who request to use the bathrooms that align with their gender identity. He said the bill is also about protecting girls' privacy and safety.

"All you are doing is demonizing an already vulnerable population. It's all under the guise of protecting children just to win cheap political points. That's all it is," Rep. Neil Rafferty, a Democrat from Birmingham, said during debate on the bill.