The Kansas Senate has approved a resolution condemning federal guidelines on transgender bathroom use. The federal rules say transgender students should be able to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. The resolution says those rules hurt student privacy and safety. Republican Senator Steve Fitzgerald says federal government officials are forcing their view on transgender issues onto the states.
“You’re either male or you’re female, and it’s not changeable. It’s reality. Inability to deal with that reality or to recognize that reality is disoriented and can be disoriented to the point of insanity,” says Fitzgerald.
Democratic Senator Tom Hawk, a former school administrator, says LGBT students are often the victims of bullying or harassment. He says this resolution fuels fear over transgender issues.
“I don’t believe it is right or good for me to support this fear and to turn on our neighbors, our family members, those young people for something they cannot control,” says Hawk.
Wednesday, the Kansas attorney general announced the state will take legal action to challenge the federal guidelines.
House members did not consider any resolution on the issue before officially ending their work and leaving.