Category: Bathroom Bills

Bathroom Bills in Pennsylvania concern attempts by the state legislature to make “sexual orientation, gender identity or expression” allowing men expressing themselves as females to use women’s bathrooms and locker facilities among other things.

The bills attempting to do this during 2015-2016 are SB 974, SB 1306, SB 1307, SB 1316 and HB 1510.

As of August 2016, SB 974 and HB 1510 seem dead with the push being made regarding SB 1306, SB 1307 and SB 1316.

The bills make “sexual orientation, gender identity or expression” a protected class prohibiting discrimination in housing (school dorms), public accommodation (rest rooms, locker rooms, showers) and employment.

Here is the legislative description of the protected class from SB 1306:

(bb)
The term “sexual orientation” means heterosexuality,
homosexuality or bisexuality.
(cc)
The term “gender identity or expression” means the
gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, expression or
other gender-related characteristics of an individual regardless
of the individual’s designated sex at birth.
Section 4. Sections 5(a), (b), (c), (f)

Bathroom Bills in Pennsylvania

Policy Cutting Parents Out Of Sex Identity Conversations Passes In Penn Delco

Policy Cutting Parents Out Of Sex Identity Conversations Passes In Penn Delco –The Penn Delco School Board, last night, Nov. 20, passed policy that will let parents be cut from conversations regarding sexual confusion their child might be having.

The policy also gives boys access to girls’ private spaces.

A standing-room crowd of 50 saw the policy pass by consent in the district’s Service Center on Dutton Mill Road. This means they don’t have to say their ayes or nays before the crowd.

In public comments prior to passing, Lisa Esler of Aston, a former school director, asked that it be tabled.

Kathi Culp noted the issue was ripping apart the community and asked why the board was so eager to pass it. She noted that there is no student in the district to whom it would apply

“Why are we rushing it?” she asked.

Jaci Farra noted the policy violates numerous aspects of the state and federal constitutions including the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause. She also said the policy violates several laws which are written based on objective biological definitions of sex, rather than arbitrary feelings.

She noted what the board did renders Title IX meaningless.

Ms. Farra further noted that the board in their haste rejected a meeting with a lawyer versed in educational policy development despite the lawyer having guided the Pennridge School District‘s successful and community-accepted sex-based bathroom policy.

All the women received loud applause.

After it passed, Joe Dychala of Aston took the podium and ripped the board for what it did. He ended up in a heated shouting match with school board President Leon Armour who ordered him away from the mike well before Dychala’s allotted time. Dychala finished saying his piece, however, and then some.

Mrs. Esler returned and said the board should be ashamed of itself for the rather cowardly way it instituted the controversial policy. She noted that the district’s cost per pupil is $20,000 per year and asked that the board give parents wishing to find an alternative school $10,000, which resulted in condescending sneers from the board.

Ms. Farra returned and said the new policy gives the Superintendent a dangerous degree of authority.

“Giving the administration this much power gives the board members the chance to wash their hands (of unpopular decisions),” she noted.

Brian Devane (sp) noted that he graduated from Sun Valley not that long ago. He said that school boards’ histories of adopting fads has led to tragic ends, some of which he personally witnessed. Devane said that in his school days ADHD was the fashion. Many of his friends were diagnosed with it and prescribed Adderall.

He said that he has attended many funerals for these friends.

Joe DiPietro of Aston said that he joined the Marines after high school rather than attend college. He expressed concern — which is not unwarranted — for the dangers the females students will face under this new policy.

“If something happens to my daughter you are going to see this face again and it’s not going to be cool, calm and collected,” he said.

Phil Falcone (sp) said he might be the oldest person in the room

“If what you guys did, you did 40 or 50 years ago, there would have been people outside with straitjackets,” he said.

Not one person spoke in defense of the policy.

The board, all Republicans, ran uncontested two weeks ago as they won on the Democrat ticket in the primary. Cross-filing is allowed in school board races.

We suspect most Penn Delco residents were rather surprised they would vote for such a policy. Here, for instance, is a story concerning Armour we carried three years ago.

The meeting started with Superintendent George Steinhoff saying district kindergartners will now be bussed and that Democrat State Sen. John Kane (9th District) is completely on board with his dream of cutting funds for cyber charter schools.

Well, that would end one escape for parents fearing for their daughter’s safety.

Starting a charter school is very doable in Pennsylvania and, yes, the school district has to fund it but this actually works out well for taxpayers.

Policy Cutting Parents Out Of Sex Identity Conversations Passes In Penn Delco
A standing room only crowd at the Penn Delco Service Center on Dutton Mill Road. Their opposition was unanimous to the transgender policy that was passed.

Policy Cutting Parents Out Of Sex Identity Conversations Passes In Penn Delco

Dealing With Bathroom Bills

Dealing With Bathroom Bills

By Bob Small

Let us start by agreeing that transexuals, whether female-to-male or male-to-female, remain human beings and should retain the rights of all human beings. Not a radical concept, one would think.

However, all human beings, as children say many times “need to go bathroom”. Here is where the controversy begins, both here and internationally.  The British and other controversies  be covered later.

According to 34 Pa Code section 41.21: “The entrances of all retiring rooms for women shall be clearly marked. Men are not permitted to use or frequent a retiring room assigned to women …

This seems fairly clear-cut, except for this question: where does a male-to-female transexual fit in, especially one who is pre-op?

Dealing With Bathroom Bills

Well, we now have PA Senate Bill 613 and PA House Bill 613, which, it is to be hoped, will clear this up.  While they don’t specifically use the term “bathroom”, both of these bills discuss “facilities” and “privilege”. The term “facilities” has been interpreted elsewhere to include restrooms; indeed, what else would it mean?

This information comes from PAfamily.org, which opposes men at any stage of transition entering women’s’ rest rooms.

It has occurred to me that I might be standing next to a female-to-male in the next stall, but I wouldn’t expect any problem, nor would I even know.

At any rate, this situation never seems to be addressed, probably because there’s not a power imbalance between men and other men.

Another observer to whom I was referred said, “The point is, these men were able to gain access to these spaces because of the idea that a man becomes a woman the instant he says, “I’m a woman”.

Regarding male-to-female transexuals, another viewpoint states that “We want the exact same thing that most of the other women want”. I urge you to read this article.

The following quotes are from people whom I know well, who want to remain anonymous, so fiery is the topic:

From a Springfield conservative on HB 300:

“Its proponents want to assign protections enjoyed by people with immutable characteristics (such as race, color, sex, national origin, handicap, or disability) to people with changeable behaviors and mental states”.

This seemed to be the best summation I ever heard of the conservative view.

A transexual friend now living in Vermont merely asks me to imagine having to avoid using bathrooms in public, due to fear of choosing the “wrong” one.

I just have to find one marked “men”. My life is simple by comparison.

Dealing With Bathroom Bills

Bathroom Bill Headache For Wagner

Bathroom Bill Headache For Wagner

By Carla D’Addesi

A simmering issue is heating up in Pennsylvania’s Gubernatorial Primary to be decided on May 15. Confusing campaign ads and ambiguous language are hiding the truth causing Pennsylvania to appear to be another corrupt swamp in need of draining!

The emerging battle has divided Conservatives and is challenging the paradigm of the Republican Party, turning them against the PA GOP itself!

Let’s simplify the situation for voters.

Current PA Governor, (D) Tom Wolf will be challenged in November by one of three  Republican primary candidates: Laura Ellsworth,  Paul Mango, or  State Senator Scott Wagner.

The divisive issue has to do with the “Bathroom Bill” otherwise known as the PA Fairness Act. Though the “Fairness Act” has a pleasant ring to it, the controversy lies within the ambiguous wording of proposed Senate Bill 974, which seeks to add “gender identity & expression and sexual orientation” to Pennsylvania’s Human Relations Act.

The confusion arises because the language in the Bathroom Bill doesn’t actually include the word “bathroom” but instead says “Public Accommodations.”

The new law would state:

State law prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex, ethnicity, age, religion, and handicap, among other characteristics, in the areas of employment, housing, and public accommodations.

Public accommodations are places that provide goods and services such as restaurants, movie theaters, hotels, and public schools.

If sexual orientation and gender identity were added to the anti-discrimination law, which is co-sponsored by Scott Wagner in SB 974, then public accommodations could NOT exclude transgender people from the restrooms that correspond to their gender identity!

What does that mean to your children, their schools and their safety?

Biological males and females will have the right to access bathrooms, locker rooms and showers of the opposite sex!

Biological boys who believe they have a girl’s brain, and are trapped in a boy’s body, will be allowed full access to all girl’s bathrooms, locker rooms and showers.

Biological girls who believe they have a boy’s brain, and are trapped in a boy’s body, will be allowed access to all boy’s bathrooms, locker rooms and showers.

Men who “feel” like women will be permitted to waltz into the women’s locker rooms of the YMCA where my daughters are changing for their swim classes.

My unwillingness to share my locker rooms with men isn’t a matter of mere discomfort. It’s a matter of safety.

Women don’t fear transgenders in the spaces; they fear men in their spaces. How can we distinguish between a transwoman and a predator until it’s too late?

Ironically, women’s shelters, places often sought to escape dangerous men, would be forced to admit men who “feel” like women. According to research published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as many as 57 percent of the women in shelters report domestic violence as the primary cause of their homelessness. What does it look like when those men are allowed to claim female “gender identity” and follow them in?

Paul Mango, vows to veto any “bathroom bill” legislation that violates privacy for bathrooms and public facilities, ensuring women & children our privacy, safety and protection of religious liberties.

True Conservatives in Pennsylvania plan to elect Paul Mango.

Carla D’Addesi is a well-respected author and vlogger who has appeared on Fox & Friends, OANN and CBN. She hosts ‘Your Family Matters’  which runs 7-8 a.m., Fridays  1180WFYL. She can followed on Twitter at @CarlaDaddesi and found on Facebook here.

Bathroom Bill Headache For Wagner

Bathroom Bill Headache For Wagner

Gay Extremist Gift Gets Wagner Grief

Gay Extremist Gift Gets Wagner Grief
Fun to stay at the YWCA?

Gay Extremist Gift Gets Wagner Grief  — A $5,000 contribution by a gay extremist in 2015 to a political action committee headed by Scott Wagner is getting the GOP gubernatorial hopeful quite a bit of grief.

A lot, lot of grief.

The money was given by Tim Gill to Reform PA PAC,  which Wagner chairs. Wagner won an historic write-in special election in March 2014 to represent the York County-centered 28th District. He campaigned as a Tea Party candidate against corruption, cronyism and indifference by the Republican establishment.

He won a full term that fall.

While Wagner has been outspokenly good on certain issues such as the state’s scandalous pension system, he seems to have managed to get himself most identified with a bizarre crusade to prohibit businesses and institutions from making distinctions based on biological sex.

He has co-sponsored a series of “bathroom bills“, a term with which Wagner wrongly takes issue  as there is no doubt that these bills would  grant by-right access for males calling themselves female to women’s restrooms and girls’ school sports.

Wagner has said that ending privacy for women (and girls) was not his intent and that he merely wants to stop LGBQWHATEVER people from being discriminated by business.

That’s almost as bad, Scott. The elimination of  the concept of “protected groups” should be the goal of decent, thinking people, not their expansion.

Being a member of a “protected group” is not helpful. Business owners — as we’d expect you to understand — base the vast majority of hiring decisions on whether the employee will make life easier. Protected group membership is something that makes business owners walk on eggshells and that is, by far, the main reason protected group members face — understandable — discrimination.

Gays, who are not yet a protected group, certainly aren’t facing economic hardship in this country and that gets us to Tim Gill.

Gill is the mega-rich gay extremist who wants to “punish” those who question his lifestyle choices. This always means stifling debate about legitimate concerns and usually means personal destruction. He is a bad, corrupting man.

Gay Extremist Gift Gets Wagner Grief

 

 

 

 

Gender Policy Change Pitch Made In Penn Delco

Gender Policy Change Pitch Made In Penn Delco

By John Haenn

Advocates of fluid definitions of gender found themselves stymied and flustered by simple questions from the audience and school board at last night’s (Dec. 18) Penn Delco (Pa) School Board meeting.

They were on hand to support a proposed new policy that would add “gender identity” to a student’s accepted identity even if it differs from the birth certificate.

This would effectively give by-right access to traditionally gender-segregated places and athletic teams to all desiring such access regardless of biology.

Testifying for a policy change were Samantha King, who directs the sex and gender clinic  at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP); counselor Erica Smith; and Quinton Cruise of the Pennsylvania Youth Conference, an LGBTQ advocacy group.

School Superintendent George Steinhoff noted that the district now handles such matters of confusion on a case-by-case basis with the emphasis on protecting the child. He questioned their claim that failing to adopt a general policy would violate federal law as an Obama-era directive had been rescinded.  Ms. King said court battles were  occurring but conceded that he was correct. School Board Solicitor Mike Puppio would also point out that there are no laws binding on this.

School Director Lisa Esler noted that CHOP’s website suggested that single-room bathrooms as an option for children having difficulty. She said that the school district has those including one in the nurse’s office.

“Single use bathrooms might not be close,” Ms. King responded. “Also kids might get sick using the nurse’s bathroom.”

Mrs. Esler asked Cruise if any research had occurred regarding  the impact and emotional distress on the 99.9 percent of the student population in currently segregated areas. He became noticeably flustered and removed himself from the podium. Ms. King stepped in to rescue him.

“Someone not trans can also use single-use bathrooms,” she said which didn’t really answer the question.

Mrs. Esler asked if the policy would extend to adult visitors at the school.

“It doesn’t matter because adults use faculty facilities anyway,” said Ms. King.

Then the audience took over.

“How do you handle mean kids, bullies?” one person asked.

“Bathrooms are just unsafe,” Ms. King answered. “Adding gender identity to the polices helps address bullies.”

“Should there be a security guard in the bathroom now?” one person asked.

“Students can handle this,” said Ms. King. “Friends and going into the bathroom with a buddy. The non-bullies and trans students can use the special bathrooms.”

“We’re already complying, this is a waste of time,” said one person.

“You don’t comply because you have no policy,” said Ms. King. “You don’t comply because you can’t use any bathroom you want.”

The board discussed the matter. Director Georgia Stone pointed out that the district is not in the best position to help students decide who they are.

“This impacts too much, lives, families and friends, future,” she said. “This should be left to the courts on a case-by-case basis.” She noted that the district would of course comply with a court order.

Several residents made public comments. One said “This is a far reach” as there are already unisex bathrooms, the district is accommodating and that there already are bullying policies. One said “getting changed in a locker room is already stressful,” and a new policy should be enacted before it gets worse. Another said “all students need to be given equal rights”. Another who moved into the district a year ago from Chester County said “I know students are bullied and some decide to be home schooled. Students are mean.”

Gender Policy Change Pitch Made In Penn Delco

Gender Policy Change Pitch Made In Penn Delco

 

 

 

Tom Cotton Backs Paul Mango For Pa. Gov.

Tom Cotton Backs Paul Mango For Pa. Gov. — Noted truth-teller Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) will be appearing with Paul Mango at a July 28 light-lunch fundraiser at AmVets Post 19 in Lancaster. Mango is among the Republicans seeking to replace Gov. “Big Bad” Wolf in  2018.

Tickets are $50. For information call Savannah at 717-779-3197.

Tom Cotton is the real deal and gives Mango a lot of credibility. Others seeking the nomination might want to reconsider pushing legislation giving strange men the right to share private spaces with little girls.

Just sayin’.

Tom Cotton Backs Paul Mango For Pa. Gov.

 

Tom Cotton Backs Paul Mango For Pa. Gov.

 

Bathroom Bill Back Or Scott Wagner How Could You?

Bathroom Bill Back Or Scott Wagner How Could You?
How could you, Scott Wagner?

Bathroom Bill Back Or Scott Wagner How Could You? — An attempt to make “gender identity” and “sexual expression”  civil rights is again being made by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, via SB 613.

The bill would allow men to use ladies rooms if they say they are feeling like a woman. It would allow boys to compete on high school girls sports teams and share their locker rooms. It would be one more obstacle for small business owners in dealing with disruptive or unsatisfactory employees.

It’s bad, pointless unnecessary legislation and very bad politics especially for those who want to be governor, Scott Wagner. Wagner, of the 28th Senatorial District, is one of the sponsors.

Target stock is tanking after it loudly instituted an “inclusive” restroom policy. It’s a rather under-reported story. The loss of shoppers is not due, or entirely due, to a boycott by religious people. It’s mostly because people — especially women — don’t want to frequent creepy places where they feel discomfort and tension. If that’s how the vote is being made with pocketbooks how does one expect votes to be made with votes?

The bill’s prime sponsor is Republican Patrick Brown of the 16th District.

Bathroom Bill Back Or Scott Wagner How Could You?

Killion Backs Anti-Woman Bathroom Bill

Killion Backs Anti-Woman Bathroom Bill — State Sen. Tom Killion’s (R-9) latest newsletter contains implicit support along with a distorted description of one of the three “bathroom bills” being considered by the Pennsylvania legislature.

Killion Backs Anti-Woman Bathroom Bill
Anything goes if Sandusky can force working people to pay his $58,000 pension.

Killion describes SB 1307 as “providing for right to freedom”.

Sure. It gives the “right to freedom” for a man wearing a dress to follow a woman into a public bathroom without impedance. It gives the “right to freedom” for a disgruntled employee to “express” him or herself as the opposite sex and insist on privileged accommodations and perhaps even escape termination. It gives the “right to freedom” for a male to compete on a girl’s sports team and share the locker room.

We can safely describe the bill as anti-woman and anti-business.

Here is a link to the newsletter.

The other “bathroom bills” being considered are SB 1306 and SB 1316.

All bills add “sexual orientation, gender identity or expression” to the protected class and define “gender identity or expression” as gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, expression or other gender-related characteristics of an individual regardless of the individual’s designated sex at birth.

SB 1307 provides for a little more protection for religious institutions. SB 1316 emphasizes housing a bit more directly. SB 1306 puts its emphasis on business practices. The differences are basically meaningless. None of the bills are necessary and all should die.

Killion Backs Anti-Woman Bathroom Bill

SB 1306 Hearing Ignored Citizen Interests

SB 1306 Hearing Ignored Citizen Interests — The Aug. 30 hearing concerning SB 1306 before the Pennsylvania Senate Labor & Industry Committee accepted testimony from many “social justice” advocates seeking a Godless society who supported the proposed law along with testimony from religious opponents to it.

No testimony, however, was taken from school directors or administrators, law enforcement personnel or small business owners who would bear the consequences of this thing if it should pass.

The bill defines sexual orientation” as “heterosexuality, homosexuality or bisexuality” and “gender identity or expression” as “the gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, expression or other gender-related characteristics of an individual regardless of the individual’s designated sex at birth.”

It would prohibit discrimination in housing, public accommodations and employment against those who define themselves as such.

At the hearing, no testimony was taken regarding bathrooms and housing as those running the hearing insisted it be related solely to business. The senators, however, seemed unable to comprehend that businesses have rest facilities for their employees which are divided by sex.

The wording of the bill clearly indicates that it applies to public accommodations i.e. public restrooms and locker rooms, and housing.

This means that if a woman has to use an interstate rest stop and a guy in a dress follows her in, nobody can stop him.

It means female high school athletes will have to compete with — and share locker rooms with — boys who decide to “express” themselves as females.

It means that a female college student will be forced to share dorm rooms with males calling themselves women.

It means that small business owners will have to walk on eggshells terminating a troublesome employee who decides to start “expressing” him or herself as the opposite sex.

It is a bad, unnecessary bill but the powers-that-be in the state are pushing hard to turn it into law.

Is it a surprise? They backed Graham Spanier and his activities at Penn State for 16 years.

Toilet, roommate and other privacy issues would be addressed at future hearings the senators said.

Penn Delco School Director Lisa Esler submitted testimony but was not invited to speak.

Here’s what she would have said:

My name is Lisa Esler. I am a school board director in Penn Delco School District. As school board directors, we are responsible for approving hires and budgets as well as creating and adopting policies that best represent our district and promote the safety and well-being of our students. State policies and laws that are created and must be enforced by the local district often have unintended consequences that may be overlooked by state level officials making these decisions. I would like the opportunity to shed light on some of the unintended consequences changing the current discrimination laws for employment would have as it relates to a school district and how it would limit our ability to act in the best interest of our district and students.

Once you declare a group of people protected under employment discrimination laws, you must give them access and privileges associated with these protections as you would anyone currently listed under the law. This includes dress code and access to facilities in that district. If SB 1306 is signed into law, school districts will have no recourse but to follow the law. This becomes a significant problem for a school district since we employ many professions including lifeguards, coaches and teachers.

As an employer, school districts ensure dress codes are non-discriminatory and employees comply with sex-specific dress codes according to their gender in the capacity of their job description. A female who now identifies as a male, such as a lifeguard or swim coach, will now be able to wear a male swim suit and use the male changing facility. A male coach, who identifies as a female, will be able to enter the women’s changing area with female athletes. Either we should treat people as they think they are, or we should treat them as biology reveals them to be. It makes no sense to do one sometimes and the other at other times.

Mandating employment policies based on gender identity or expression will undermine and limit common sense school policies and prohibit schools from making decisions about employees.This bill will create a subjective protected class that will expose school districts to unwarranted liability. It will overrule custom, culture, and the very demands inherent in human nature for privacy and safety, particularly the right for children in a school setting.

While issues of sex and gender identity are psychologically, morally, and politically controversial, all should agree that children should be protected from having to sort through such questions before they reach an appropriate age as determined by their parents. SB 1306 would prevent schools and parents from protecting children from these adult debates about sex and gender identity by forcing employers, including schools, to yield to the desires of employees in ways that put them in the spotlight. Children would be prematurely exposed to questions about sex and gender if, for example, a male teacher returned to school identifying as a woman. These situations are best handled at the local level, by the parents and teachers closest to the children.

Children, especially teens, love to test the boundaries set by adults. How do we justify these protections for those in a position as a role model and authority and not extend the same privileges and protections to all students?

If SB  1306 were to pass, it would leave school districts to deal with unlimited liability issues as well as other serious unintended consequences.For these reasons, I ask that you vote no on SB1306. Thank you for the opportunity to share my concerns.

SB 1306 Hearing Ignored Citizen Interests

Bathroom Bill Idiocy Hearing On Web

Bathroom Bill Idiocy Hearing On Web — Pennsylvania State Sen. Lisa Baker (R-28) is linking her webpage to a hearing scheduled for tomorrow, Aug. 30, regarding SB 1306, which makes “sexual orientation, gender identity or expression” a protected class hence making it impossible to consider these matters in legislation or commerce.

Bathroom Bill Idiocy Hearing On Web
Idiots are apparently a protected political class.

What this means ladies is that if you have to use an interstate rest stop and a guy in a dress follows you in, nobody can say he can’t.

What this means parents is that your daughters will have to compete with — and share locker rooms with — boys who decide to “express” themselves as females regarding school sports.

What this means small business owners is that if your troublesome employee decides to start “expressing” him or herself as the opposite sex you have one new, huge headache on your hands in getting rid of him or her.

This is extremely stupid and unnecessary legislation and must die.

And the sooner the better.

Bathroom Bill Idiocy Hearing On Web