County Executive Ike Leggett signed a transgender rights bill into law today. Opponents are still apoplectic about the "bathroom problem," claiming that men will now have the right to pose as women to use the women's room and vice-versa. The Post exposed this as a non-problem in any other place which has enacted a similar ordinance:
But officials in cities with similar protections said fears of people abusing the law to gain entry into private facilities were unfounded. Human rights officials in the District, California and Colorado, for instance, reported only a handful of phone calls from employers seeking guidance for legally segregating restrooms or locker rooms. . . .If the District, California, and Colorado residents manage to deal with this issue with maturity, we'll somehow get by too. And perhaps on the eve of our national festival, we can feel thankful that Montgomery County, part of a state and a country founded by people fleeing religious persecution, has taken a step to allow a small minority to live with a bit less fear and more dignity.
In the five years since the city of Boulder, Colo., added "gender variance" to its anti-discrimination law, the Office of Human Rights has not had any complaints from businesses or employers, according to Administrator Carmen Atilano. Boulder's code distinguishes between transgender individuals who have had sex reassignment surgery (they may use the facilities of their anatomical sex) and people who are in transition (they must be granted "reasonable accommodations" to access such facilities).
