Penna Dexter

When President Trump rescinded his predecessor’s school shower and bathroom edict, the matter landed right where it belongs, in the laps of the states. And my home state of Texas is leading on the issue. On February 22, President Trump reversed Obama guidelines issued last May that specified that transgender students have the right to use public school restrooms that match their gender identity. That Obama directive meant biological boys would be allowed into intimate spaces meant for girls – and visa versa. The guidelines ignored common sense in favor of a misguided “non-discrimination” agenda. And they angered parents, worried about safety and privacy. The Obama Directive may be gone, but it succeeded in getting the ball rolling nationwide to advance an agenda that elevates gender identity above biological reality and very real privacy and safety considerations. To address this, the Texas Senate passed SB6, the Texas Privacy Act to protect localities and schools from the Left’s pressure to adopt these so-called non-discrimination policies. The bill’s sponsor, Lois Kolkhorst says it will protect against those who “might in some way use a vague idea of gender identification to go into private and intimate spaces and do harm.” Having passed the Senate, 21-10, SB6 is before the Texas House where things are proving a bit tougher. The opposition claims the Texas economy would lose dollars and jobs. It’s true that North Carolina, which passed landmark privacy legislation, was hit with boycotts by entertainers, sports organizations, and businesses, many of which maintain the bathroom policies they say they object to. Under SB6, bathroom policy is up to the business. Despite the boycotts, North Carolina continues to be a fantastic state in which to operate a business. Texas Values points out that “The states with the strongest economies have overwhelmingly not adopted policies which force businesses and public institutions to allow men into the women’s restroom.” The good news is, states are considering 70 plus bills that put a lid on these gender-free mandates and give people rights to hold views against them.