A key Senate committee on Tuesday approved a scaled-back proposal aimed at requiring transgender men and women to use restrooms that line up with their sex assigned at birth, as protesters marched to the Capitol to speak out against bills targeting the LGBTQ community.
Florida is among more than two dozen Republican-led states that are considering controversial measures seeking to prohibit or limit medical care for transgender people, prevent minors from attending drag shows and impose restrictions on which bathrooms trans people can use.
The House last week passed a bill (HB 1521) that would prohibit transgender people from using the restroom of their choice in restaurants, schools and other places, including private businesses.
But the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee on Tuesday approved a version of the bill (SB 1674) that would apply restroom restrictions to public and private schools, 鈥減ublic buildings鈥� such as government facilities and correctional institutions, including prisons and jails.
鈥淭here are differences between biological men and biological women, and this bill ensures uniformity in the use of restrooms and changing facilities,鈥� Senate sponsor Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, told the committee.
Lawmakers have focused heavily during the annual legislative session on transgender and LGBTQ-related issues, sparking Tuesday鈥檚 march to the Capitol from a nearby park.
The House, for example, gave final approval last week to a bill (SB 1438) that would block venues from admitting children to 鈥渁dult live performances.鈥� The bill, which is ready to go to Gov. Ron DeSantis, defines 鈥渁dult live performances鈥� as 鈥渁ny show, exhibition, or other presentation that is performed in front of a live audience and in whole or in part, depicts or simulates nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, specific sexual activities, 鈥� lewd conduct, or the lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts.鈥�
While the bill doesn鈥檛 specifically mention drag shows, it came after DeSantis鈥� administration took steps such as filing a complaint against the Hyatt Regency Miami hotel for hosting a 鈥淒rag Queen Christmas鈥� event in December.
The measure would prohibit local governments from issuing public permits for events that could expose children to the targeted behavior. The legislation, which would allow state regulators to suspend or revoke licenses of operators that violate the law, has already prompted some locales to cancel pride parades.
The proposed bathroom restrictions approved by the Senate panel Tuesday would require schools to 鈥渆stablish disciplinary procedures for any student who willfully enters 鈥� a restroom or changing facility designated for the opposite sex 鈥� and refuses to depart when asked to do so鈥濃�� by administrators or staff members, including school-safety officers. Under the bill, law-enforcement officers or security guards also would have the authority to order people to leave bathrooms at colleges and universities.
People other than students or instructional staff who violate the restrictions would commit the offense of trespassing. The measure also would allow people to file complaints with the attorney general鈥檚 office alleging that agencies or schools 鈥渇ailed to meet the minimum requirements for restrooms.鈥� The attorney general鈥檚 office would have authority to file civil lawsuits to enforce the restrictions.
The bill defines sex as 鈥渢he classification of a person as either female or male based on the organization of the body of such person for a specific reproductive role, as indicated by the person鈥檚 sex chromosomes, naturally occurring sex hormones, and internal and external genitalia present at birth.鈥�
Grall said her bill would allow unisex restrooms, which she said already are in use at some schools and public buildings.
But Democrats on the committee and members of the public who spoke against the bill questioned how it would be enforced and said it could endanger trans people.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to use whatever bathroom I want, because what are you going to do about it? It鈥檚 unenforceable. Are you going to check what鈥檚 in my pants? Is there going to be somebody there to check what鈥檚 in my pants? No, I am going to use whatever bathroom I want,鈥� Tsi Day Smith, of the group Women鈥檚 Voices of Southwest Florida, said.
Cindy Sullivan, a 53-year-old transgender woman from Land O鈥橪akes, argued that the bill 鈥� called the 鈥淪afety in Private Spaces Act鈥� 鈥� would put her and other trans women at risk.
鈥淚 would prefer to not have to drop my panties to prove who I am,鈥� Sullivan said, adding that she is identified as female on her passport and driver鈥檚 license. 鈥淭his bill fails to address real safety concerns. Rather, it purports a witch-hunt against the vulnerable minority, which I apologize that I am one of.鈥�
But Matthew Woodside, a Brevard County teacher, said the measure would make children safer at schools.
鈥淚t is our job to protect their dignity, their privacy, and their safety, especially when they are at their most vulnerable state, when their pants are down, and when their shirts are off,鈥� he said.
As the committee signed off on Grall鈥檚 measure, about 200 drag queens and their allies gathered on the steps of the Old Capitol, decrying the spate of legislation aimed at the LGBTQ community.
鈥淲e are going to change hearts and minds. We鈥檙e going to hold candidates and politicians to the task. We鈥檙e gonna go back to our communities and ask the questions. We鈥檙e gonna record them on social media and flood the internet with their statements, to hold them accountable,鈥� Darcel Stevens, a drag-queen activist who helped organize Tuesday鈥檚 rally, told the crowd.
Lawmakers also are considering a bill that would make it a crime for doctors to use gender-affirming care such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy or surgeries to treat children. The House signed off on its version of the measure last week.
Ariel Rimm, a drag performer from West Palm Beach who attended Tuesday鈥檚 march, said drag 鈥渒ind of gave me the license to be the person I wanted to be.鈥�
鈥淚t freed me. It really allowed me to find happiness within myself and not necessarily hate myself for all of the things I had been ridiculed about for my entire life, growing up,鈥� Rimm said.
News Service Assignment Manager Tom Urban and videographer Mike Exline contributed to this report.
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