California could become the first state in the nation to require public schools to provide at least one gender-neutral bathroom on campus, if a joint-sponsored proposal garners traction within the state's House and Senate chambers.
Last week, state Sen. Josh Newman, D-Calif., introduced SB 760, legislation that would require all K-12 public schools in California to house at least one genderless bathroom for student use.
Newman's rationale: This measure would give students who identify as a different gender from their biological sex with a bathroom option.
"Schools should provide a safe and inclusive environment for all students, one where they're able to focus on learning and where they're encouraged to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally," Newman said in a press release.
Newman added: "By requiring all California K-12 schools to provide gender-inclusive restroom facilities on campus, we'll ensure the well-being of our LGBTQ+ and non-binary students and ensure safer school communities for everyone."
According to the SB 760 proposal: "This bill would require, on or before January 1, 2025, each school district, county office of education, and charter school, including charter schools operating in a school district facility, maintaining any combination of classes from kindergarten to grade 12, inclusive, to provide at least one all-gender restroom for pupil use at each of its schoolsites.
"The bill would require the all-gender restroom to meet certain requirements, including that it (1) has appropriate signage identifying the bathroom facility as being open to all genders, (2) is unlocked, unobstructed, and easily accessible by any pupil without requesting access from teachers, faculty, or school staff, and (3) is stocked with menstrual products, as specified."
Disputes over gender-neutral bathroom facilities in schools and other public buildings were "among the first battlegrounds of the transgender culture wars" in America, according to the Washington Examiner.
Newman's bill proposal, which was co-sponsored by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-Calif., could bring some clarity to this issue.
"Every child and adolescent should have access to a bathroom that comports with their gender identity, and for some young people, that means bathrooms that don't force them into a binary choice," said Wiener.
According to the Examiner, Wiener has previously introduced numerous bills related to gay and transgender issues in the California Legislature.
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