This coming Tuesday, the House Education Committee will hear testimony for HB 2314, yet another anti-trans bill targeting Arizona’s children and schools. A trans-exclusion bill that covers school bathrooms, changing facilities, and “sleeping quarters,” HB 2314 would not only prevent trans kids from using “multi-occupancy” facilities appropriate to their genders, but would create a situation where trans kids couldn’t use any facilities at all without undue scrutiny of their bodies and genders. In a further provision which would only intensify that climate, the bill would allow claims to be brought against public schools by anyone who “encounters” a trans person in a bathroom.
Trans kids don’t deserve to be singled out as the focal point of a political debate; this isn’t a time to foster conflict or divisiveness in our public schools. HB 2314 has nothing to offer Arizona, and nothing to do with Arizona either. The same bill – almost word for word – has appeared in South Dakota as House Bill 1005, and this is typical for anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ legislative attacks. We need legislation that looks out for Arizona’s communities, not copy-and-paste policy that picks on kids.
What You Can Do Right Now
If you don’t already have an active RTS account, now is the time to make one. Sign on and register your position in opposition to this bill, and if you can, register to speak against it in the committee meeting. If you can’t, you can still make a difference just by showing up. Even if you can’t go to the Capitol, try to watch the committee meeting online.
Before the 15th, call and email the committee members listed below:
Lupe Diaz: ldiaz@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3276
John M. Fillmore: jfillmore@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3187
Daniel Hernandez, Jr.: dhernandez@azleg.gov | (602) 926-4840
Joel John: jjohn@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3276
Quang H. Nguyen: qnguyen@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3258
Jennifer Pawlik: jpawlik@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3193
Beverly Pingerelli (Vice-Chairman): bpingerelli@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3396
Judy Schwiebert: jschwiebert@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3390
Myron Tsosie: mtsosie@azleg.gov | (602) 926-3157
Michelle Udall (Chairman): mudall@azleg.gov | (602) 926-4856
Session Updates to Celebrate
HB 2802: Earlier this week, Representative Amish Shah, M.D. and Speaker Rusty Bowers filed The Equality and Fairness for All Arizonans Act, historic bipartisan legislation that would extend Arizona’s existing non-discrimination laws to protect gay and transgender Arizonans in employment, housing and public accommodations. It would also ban conversion therapy.
Yesterday morning, the Senate Health and Human Services committee saw a massive outpouring of support for transgender youth, and with a 4-4 vote failed to pass SB 1138, thanks to the families who showed up en masse to stand up for their rights, and to Senators Gabaldon, Gonzales, Terán, and Pace for voting no.
