Mitch Perry
If and when former Olympic hero turned reality TV personality Bruce Jenner does make his transition to becoming transgender, she would become the most famous personality in America to do so yet. Transgendered people in the U.S. are certainly having their moment in popular culture, what with the success of Amazon’s Transparent, which has been hailed by some critics as the best new show of the year.
Under this backdrop, along comes Miami state House Republican Frank Artiles, who has introduced legislation for the 2015 session that would would invalidate transgender nondiscrimination ordinances that have been put into law in localities like Tampa, St. Petersburg and Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties.
Under this backdrop, along comes Miami state House Republican Frank Artiles, who has introduced legislation for the 2015 session that would would invalidate transgender nondiscrimination ordinances that are placed in law in localities like Tampa, Gulfport, Dunedin and Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties.
On Wednesday, Artiles filed HB 583, called, “Single-Sex Public Facilities.” It reads: “An act relating to single-sex public facilities; requiring that the use of single-sex public facilities be restricted to persons of the sex for which the facility is designated; prohibiting knowingly and willfully entering a single-sex public facility designated for or restricted to persons of the other biological sex; providing criminal penalties; providing exemptions; providing private cause of action against violators; provides for exemptions.”
In an interview with the Miami Herald’s Steve Rathaus, Artiles denies the bill is in any way discriminatory against transgendered people. But he says that human rights ordinances that provide protections for transgendered people, “create a giant loophole for criminals, sexual deviants and sexual predators to walk into a shower, a woman’s locker room under the cover of law.”
As news of the bill circulated around the state, the criticism was fierce.
“I am outraged to hear that a colleague in the Florida House of Representatives has filed a bill that would discriminate against our fellow Floridians,”said State Democratic Representative Janet Cruz. “A bill labeling members of our transgender community as criminals for living their lives is an abomination and an embarrassment. When will Republicans who serve in office realize that hate and discrimination have no place in government and will only destroy the fabric of this great nation?”
“I call on every citizen in our great state to stand against discrimination and for humanity,” Cruz added. “Do we want to be known as a state that, in 2015, institutionalized discrimination of our friends, family members, and neighbors? Do we want to be known as a state that values the well-being of certain groups of people over others?”
“House Bill 583 discriminates against our state’s transgender community and could not be more out-of-step with mainstream Florida values,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Allison Tant. “Enshrining discrimination into Florida law is bad for business and hurts every Floridian’s right to live in a free and just society.”
“This ‘show your papers to pee’ bill denigrates both transgender and non-transgender people alike,” said ACLU of Florida LGBT rights staff attorney Daniel Tilley. “In addition to dehumanizing transgender people in particular, it invites humiliation and harassment of anyone who is not considered sufficiently feminine or masculine in the eyes of the beholder. Will girls in soccer uniforms be stopped at the bathroom door and asked to produce their birth certificates?
In the fall of 2009, the Tampa City Council voted to expand anti-discrimination laws to include transgendered individuals. But that vote came after a series of citizens invoked the bible and scripture as reasons why the Council should not approve the amendment (including a series of black preachers). The council that day heard statements like this from outraged constituents, “If I was to call myself a dog. Would that give me the right to go to the bathroom on somebody’s yard? Do you see where this could lead?”
State Senator Charlie Dean, R- Jacksonville, is sponsoring the bill in the Senate.
