Virginia lawmakers: ‘Adults must check children’s private parts before entering restroom’
Republican lawmakers in Virginia seem intent on one-upping Indiana in their quest to publicly shame trans people. Earlier this week, lawmakers in the Hoosier State introduced a bill that would fine transgender adults $5000 for using public restrooms. Now, lawmakers in Virginia want to create a similar law that applies to trans children. House Bill 663 was filed with the Virginia state legislature earlier this week by Republican Del. Mark Cole. The bill seeks to prohibit elementary and high school students who identify as trans from using the restrooms or locker rooms that don’t match their “anatomical sex.”
According to the bill, a student’s “anatomical sex” is “the physical condition of being male or female, which is determined by a person’s anatomy.” The measure states that “local school boards shall develop and implement policies that require every school restroom, locker room, or shower room that is designated for use by a specific gender to solely be used by individuals whose anatomical sex matches such gender designation.”
If a student is caught violating the law, he or she will be fined $50. So how exactly will schools enforce this proposed law?
According to LGBTQ rights activist Tim Peacock, “adults would be required to inspect children’s genitals before they use the bathroom.”
“This is what the conservative movement has devolved into,” Peacock wrote in a blog post published Tuesday, “forcing children to allow adults to examine their genitals out of misplaced fear that transgender kids and adults might commit a hypothetical never-before-seen act of violence or sexual aggression (that would still be against the law with or without transgender protections).”
In response to Peacock’s post, Del. Mark Cole took to Twitter to clarify that his bill doesn’t call for adults to examine children’s genitals. Instead, he says, the law would be enforced on a “complaint basis.”
“A woman would report a man using the facility and a summons could be issued if warranted,” Cole tweeted. Of course, this raises a question: How would the courts verify the anatomy of the accused?
“We don’t want potential child abuse happening in our schools by trans people (even though it’s LITERALLY NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE) so we’re going to make sure that child abuse happens”
Cis people what the fuck??????
this is literally child abuse. like what the shit
Cis conservatives would rather sexually harass children and open the door for potential pedophilia before considering basic human rights
WHAT????!?!!?!!
These lawmakers need to be removed from office.
burn the government to the fucking ground and give the land back to the First Nations people ffs fuck this piece of shit country
I’m still just sitting here as a parent seething at the idea of school genital checks.
The number of girls I know – from all across the country – who were fondled during scoliosis checks or school activity physicals at the schools, at which their parents were not present, is really just hair-raising. And that’s a damn scoliosis check. I’m sure it happened to boys, too, I just only personally have heard stories from girls.
One of my exes commented that she didn’t even realize until it was over what the doctor had done in Improperly Touching her, and she never told her parents because she was confused and upset.
Now you compound that with pants checks, and oh my word.
This is typical. “I don’t want to tolerate people who are different in this way. How can I publicly shame them? Maybe if I shame them publicly enough they will stop doing the things I don’t like?”
Fuck that noise. Especially when it’s presented with pearl-clutching “we must protect the women/children”. Because the trans people you accost in this way don’t count as children (or women) in your mind.
Reblog for excellent commentary.
