Democrats’ concerns prevented the Mississippi House of Representatives from moving forward with a bill that would establish a place where men and women, regardless of gender identity, may use sex-specific amenities like public restrooms and changing features.
Senate Bill 2753, dubbed the Safer Act, passed the House after about one hour of conversation 80-32, mostly along party lines.
If the Senate approves it and the Republican governor approves it, SB 2753, introduced by Tate Reeves, may allow people to use restrooms, change rooms, and other gender-specific spaces in public buildings in accordance with their sex at birth. People who no longer recognize their birth-related sex may not be able to use services that reflect their preferred gender identity.
Additionally, it would impose gender restrictions on transgender people living in college dorms and not having their sexual predetermined at birth. Common areas in Mississippi include government buildings such as courtroom houses, leaders’ practices, municipal buildings, state companies, the Mississippi Capitol, and state gardens, to name a few.
“Boys will go to boys’ bathrooms, girls will go to girls’ bathrooms,” said Rep. Joey Hood, R-Ackerman, who presented the bill to House lawmakers Wednesday. “Changing facilities will be for boys, and will be for girls.”
House Democrats, right, question Rep. Joey Hood, R-Ackerman, over Senate Bill 2753 Wednesday in the House of Representatives in the Mississippi State Capitol. The bill, dubbed the Safer Act, would establish a law designating that restrooms and other sex-specific facilities in public buildings have to be used by men and women whose sex is determined at birth. People can also use unisex restrooms.
However, the bill does contain a provision that states that any unconstitutional provision of the proposed law shall be removed from state law and left unaltered.
“We’ve got a catch-all for any type of situation,” Hood said.
A transgender person is someone whose gender identity is distinct from that which is typically associated with the sex they were born to be. According to Wise Voter, a data and statistics website, about 0.45% of the state’s 2.95 million residents identify as transgender, or about 13,000 people. This figure may be skewed because some trans people avoid being identified because of possible discrimination by refusing to disclose their preferred identity.
Numerous transgender and LGBTQ advocates told the Clarion Ledger earlier this year that the decision would not only harm some transgender people but also that it might harm some.
“Because I’m no longer a man,” Leah Davis, a trans woman and University of Mississippi student, said, “It would absolutely be a threat to my safety.” “I’m a woman, and being housed with men would put me in danger of being sexually assaulted, or other types of assault. So ostensibly, the bill is meant to protect cisgendered women, but inevitably, it will put transgender women in harm and transgender men as well.”
On Wednesday, House Democrats who were opposed to the bill also had sluggish words for the legislation.
Rep. Willie Bailey, D-Greenville, called the bill a ridiculous proposition that’s only purpose was to play politics.
“Ain’t nothing going to make Mississippi safer by doing this act,” Bailey said. “In politics, somebody got to have an issue to run on. They used to focus on race and color, and then they began to focus on abortion, and now they have a problem with transgender people. It won’t do diddly squat for you.”
Rep. Jeffrey Harness, D-Fayette, agreed, also calling the bill a “mess” that will likely bring forth lawsuits against the state.
In addition to restricting the rights of trans people who already reside in Mississippi, Rep. Zakiya Summers, D-Jackson, called the bill a deterrent for those looking to possibly relocate to the state.
“There could be trans people in your family, maybe they could even be going to your church, they could be your neighbors,” Summers said. Why would you want to prevent them from living the life they desire?
Hood’s response? The bill only aims to ensure that both men and women use men’s and women’s facilities, and that what determines a woman, a man, or a man is decided at birth and not at any other time.
The House may approve any changes made by the House, take it to a conference of lawmakers from both chambers to finalize a draft version, or leave it unaffected. The bill now heads back to the Senate.
For the Clarion Ledger, Grant McLaughlin covers state government. He can be reached at [email protected] or 972-571-2335.
