Michigan lawmakers are discussing legislation to require schools to enforce strict use of bathrooms and locker rooms according to sex assigned at birth.
HB 4024 would require public schools to ensure students' privacy from others of the opposite sex assigned at birth, by enforcing separate multi-occupancy restrooms, changing areas and similar facilities.
Bill sponsor Representative Joseph Fox (R-Fremont) told the House Education committee Wednesday that his bill is needed to protect young girls from being “traumatized.”
“To explain it in terms that even a kindergartener would understand, boys use boys’ bathrooms and girls use girls’ bathrooms,” Fox told the committee.
Fox insists this is a “safety issue.”
But questions about how to enforce the bill led to this exchange between Fox and Democratic representative Jimmy Wilson Jr. (D-Ypsilanti).
“Who’s doing the genital checks on these kids? Is that going to be yourself? Maybe Speaker Hall? Or maybe the chair of the committee? Who’s going in to do the gender checks on these kids?” asked Wilson.
“I’m assuming that’s a little bit of a facetious question,” replied Fox.
Democrats on the committee also wondered how much enforcing this bill may cost public school districts, that still don’t have a state education budget to plan around for this year.
