Arizona lawmakers to take up bill on gender-specific places
An Arizona House committee Wednesday is scheduled to take up a bill that would make it a crime to use the wrong bathroom. From Phoenix, KJZZ’s Mark Brodie has more.
MARK BRODIE: The strike-everything amendment to Senate Bill 1432 would make it a misdemeanor for someone to intentionally go into a bathroom, shower, dressing or locker room of the opposite sex – if that facility has a sign indicating it’s single-sex, and the person’s birth certificate doesn’t specify they’re that gender. Penalties include six months in prison and a $2,500 fine. There are exceptions for people who are physically disabled, going in to help someone, or is a child who needs help. Last month, the Phoenix City Council amended its Human Relations Ordinance, to ban discrimination against gay, lesbian, disabled and transgendered residents. Some critics dubbed the city’s effort the “Bathroom Bill,” and worried it would lead to transgendered men using women’s restrooms.
