CEO DATELINE - ASAE pledges to oppose Texas bathroom bill
CEO DATELINE - ASAE pledges to oppose Texas bathroom bill
- December 2, 2016 |
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Walt Williams
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ASAE is promising to fight proposed bills in Texas and other states banning transgender individuals from using public restrooms not corresponding to their sex at the time of birth.
Last year, North Carolina became the first state to pass legislation restricting transgender people from using public restrooms by the sex they identify with. ASAE and other associations urged state lawmakers to drop the law, and multiple companies and organizations announced they were pulling events from North Carolina in protest. The federal government sued North Carolina for allegedly violating the rights of LGBT people. Gov. Pat McCrory announced in September the state would not fight the lawsuit.
Lawmakers in other states have proposed similar legislation without much success. However, that could change next year. Republicans control a majority of state legislatures and the incoming Trump administration doesn't appear likely to oppose laws restricting restroom access. (President-elect Donald Trump originally opposed the North Carolina law before changing his position to support it.) Texas may be among the first states to take up the issue when its legislature convenes in January.
In column for ASAE's Associations Now, Director of Public Policy Chris Vest said the association is preparing to fight the Texas bill and others like it. He cited CEO John Graham, who said "that when you adopt laws that permit discrimination, you're not only harming your reputation as a welcoming state, you're also setting up your economy for a decline."
Whether Texas lawmakers will follow through on the transgender bathroom bill remains to be seen. Texas House Speaker Joe Straus recently told news organization that passage of the legislation wasn't a top priority for his chamber. http://bit.ly/2gQiAsw
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