Transgender bathroom bill dies in subcommittee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A bill that would require transgender students to use bathrooms that match their sex at birth appears to be dead for the year.

The bill died in a House Education Administration and Planning subcommittee meeting Tuesday that was packed with transgender youth.

Transgender students who testified to lawmakers were elated and said they felt like sharing their personal stories impacted lawmakers.

Last week, The Gayly reported that Henry Seaton, an 18-year-old senior at Hendersonville's Beech High School who was born female but identifies as male, testified that he could only use one restroom at school. The teen said he wasn't allowed to use either the bathroom for boys or girls, but instead had to go to a teachers' restroom that was locked half the time.

Conservatives had pushed the legislation. Republicans in support of the measure have said that it would protect the privacy of students. Rep. Mark White, a Republican from Memphis on the committee, said members had compassion for transgender kids but they had to create a balance while creating a law for all kids. However, some lawmakers were concerned that the proposal would create more confusion. Local schools already have their own policies on use of bathrooms for transgender students.

"I actually trust our teachers and local school boards to figure out how to make those accommodations in those situations," said Gov. Bill Haslam.

There was also concern about financial impact to the state. Gov. Haslam had objected to the bill because he was concerned that Tennessee could lose federal funding if it passed.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.

The Gayly- 3/22/2016 @ 11:50 AM CST