Nila Thompson urged lawmakers on Thursday to assist a bill that would protect and separate services based on biological sex, like bathrooms. — WV Legislative Photography and Photo Courtesy
CHARLESTON – The bill’s detractors contend that it is actually intended to restrict the privileges of trans people in West Virginia, despite its claims to define women and girls’ rights.
During the House of Delegates’ surface session on Thursday, action on House Bill 5243, which would have created a “Women’s Bill of Rights,” was delayed by one day. On Friday, the House will go through the second reading and act stages of the bill.
Stronger definitions of sex-based terms, such as those that “woman,” “girl,” and “mother” refer to biological females, with the exception of cases of development and biological anomalies or accidents, would be implemented in state code by HB 5243.
The act states that a woman’s biological sex is predetermined from birth and excludes terms like gender identity or other arbitrary terms. Under the new concepts, any mention of “gender” in state code may be replaced with “sexual.”
According to followers, the Women’s Bill of Rights may forbid harsh treatment of both sexes in certain circumstances, such as the provision of independent single-sex existing facilities, locker rooms, bathrooms, domestic violence shelters, and biologically based murder problems centers. Additionally, it may alter the definition of identical, stating that it does not refer to gender equality as being “same” or “identical.”
The House Judiciary Committee held a common hearing on HB 5243 on Thursday night in the House room. 20 people opposed to the act and seven followers showed up at the open hearing.
In their support of the act, Shanna Thompson and her daughter Nila Thompson related a story in which men had occasionally entered the dance group of Nila Thompson. In December, the Kanawha County Board of Education was consulted about these problems, but they were unsatisfied with the school system’s answer.
My privileges are not valued, the class panel made it clear, but House Bill 5243 protects them, according to Nila Thompson. “I dropped the class and changed to one that didn’t expose me to the other sex in front of them.” Abuse and nothing less is the result of any legislation that mandates this kind of coverage.
No person, regardless of age, should have to put up with what my child Nila did in her school’s locker room, according to Shanna Thompson. According to the written language of “House Bill 5243,” both sexes’ children and women of all ages are protected. There is no room for interpretation later and no confusion regarding the classification of a lady.
However, the majority of speakers agreed that the bill is unfair to girls and women because it denies them any further rights while also allowing discrimination against marginalized groups like the transgender community.
Samuel Green remarked,” It’s absurd for this system to act as though they have suddenly invested in the welfare of women.” “You’re spitting in the face of what they have fought for by proposing policy that does nothing to help them, giving you another chance to harm the transgender society.” People are not in danger from trans individuals. Simply put, we’re just trying to survive.
According to Ash Orr,” House Bill 5243, which is connected to the West Virginia Women’s Bill of Rights, offers no actual, visible protections for cisgender women while attacking another excluded community and attempting to eliminate those safeguards.” This bill is more about restricting the rights and identification of trans people than it is about establishing any protections for people at all.
Members of the LGBTQ+ lobbying group Fairness West Virginia, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, sexual freedom organization WV FREE, and the ACLU-WV all voiced opposition to the bill.
According to Isabella Cortez, female policy director for Fairness West Virginia,” this so-called Women’s Bill of Rights is not about protecting people; it is about codifying your stigmatization into state law, and we are not falling for it.” This act “does not provide any fresh protections for people, nor does it protect any present ones.”
We know how you feel about people, said Mollie Kennedy, group referral producer for the ACLU-WV,” no matter how many vile proposals you pass about your respect for women as incubators or what blatantly false titles you give bills like this one.” On this ground, we can learn how you’re feeling. It can be heard in the corridors. When we meet with you in your agencies, we let each other know about it. You are introducing legislation known as the Women’s Bill of Rights, which is disgusting, disrespectful, and ridiculous.
