Loudspeakers at a public hearing on Thursday said that policy in West Virginia to filter the definitions of identity may deny women any additional rights and serve as an avenue for Republicans to repress transgender people.
During the 45-minute hearing in the House chambers at the state Capitol, dozens of listeners opposed the “Children’s Bill of Rights” while a small number spoke in favor of it.
According to the law, “equal” does not imply “equal” or “identical” in relation to equality of the sexes. A child’s sex is determined at birth, and gender equity terms cannot be substituted, according to state statutes and established public policies. Additionally, it may prove that some single-sex settings, like locker rooms, bathrooms, and athletic facilities, are non-discriminatory.
Max Varney, a student at Marshall University, claimed that the act justifies stigmatization by citing women’s rights.
“I am a transgender person in West Virginia, and I stand before you as such. I don’t pose a threat to the general public, and Varney said that my existence is not offensive. This legislation is dehumanizing. It is unfair. And it’s repulsive.”
“Why shouldn’t I also be regarded as a person?” Varney continued. “I’m here now to demonstrate to you the reality of transgender individuals in West Virginia. I’m a real person. I am here. And I merit humane treatment.”
The bill, according to Fairness West Virginia, the state’s sole LGBTQ+ advocacy group, does nothing to help women and, among other things, forbids transgender people from using gender-appropriate restrooms in public buildings.
The policy is still up for vote in the GOP-supermajority House of Delegates. Governor of West Virginia, Jim Justice, firmly supported it at a meeting held just before the bill’s launch next month. Related actions have been taken in other states, including Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signing an executive order on the limited interpretations of sex in August.
Riley Gaines, a previous Kentucky swimmer, was present at both events and voiced her disapproval of the NCAA’s decision to allow transgender swimmer Lia Thomas to face her in the 2022 national final contest. Gaines is a member of the Independent Women’s Voice anti-trans group.
The language of the bill is devoid of specifics, such as enforcement strategies and penalties, leaving its possible effects vague. Authorities have had trouble figuring out how rules limiting the use of rooms by transgender people will be put into effect in other states.
Despite its broad “Bill of Rights” premise, the measure doesn’t solve problems with abortion, affordable care, or reproductive care. A House committee chairman rejected one lawmaker’s attempt to include an equal pay clause, stating that it was unrelated to the bill, which is now known as “The West Virginia Act to Define Sex-Based Terms Used in State Law,” “Help Protect Single-Sex Spaces,” and “Ensure the Accuracy of Public Data Collection.”
The act “guarantees my rights to security, privacy, and protection,” according to follower Nila Thomson at a public hearing of the House Judiciary Committee. “I’m so appreciative that you took the time to introduce this act.”
However, Mollie Kennedy, the West Virginia section of the American Civil Liberties Union’s group outreach coordinator, referred to it as a “bigoted bill.”
“To understand how this legislature feels about women, we don’t need a women’s bill of rights,” she said. “It is disgusting and unpleasant.”
The House Education Committee passed another bill last month that would forbid transgender individuals from using the school room that is consistent with their female identity. The court committee has not taken up that bill.
Republican Justice joined more than a few states that have passed legislation restricting or outlawing biologically supported treatments for transgender children last year when he signed legislation banning gender-affirming care for minors.
Court battles are probably coming.
The trans bathroom ban on a Virginia school board was declared unconstitutional by the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2020. The 4th Circuit has jurisdiction over West Virginia.
A 12-year-old transgender girl from West Virginia was granted permission by the U.S. Supreme Court last year to continue playing on the girls’ sports teams at her middle school despite ongoing legal action over a state ban. Trans athletes are not allowed to compete in sports that are consistent with their gender identity under the restrictions.
