Yesterday, in a 7-4 vote, the unnecessary and discriminatory bathroom bill, SB1045, moved forward from the Appropriations Committee to the House floor. SB1045 renders local LGBT nondiscrimination laws unenforceable and protects businesses and other facility managers that choose to discriminate against transgender and gender nonconforming public restroom users.
In response to the committee vote on SB1045, National Center for Transgender Equality Executive Director Mara Keisling said:
“The Arizona Appropriations Committee approved an incredibly discriminatory and hateful bill that specifically targets transgender people. Rejecting the thousands of people who’ve spoken out against SB1045 in Arizona and across the United States, Rep. Kavanagh and his six allies instead chose to defend discrimination and protect discriminators. SB1045 brings more shame to Arizona’s legislature for isolating and targeting another marginalized community. Transgender Arizonans and our allies stand stronger and more determined to put an end to Rep. Kavanagh’s anti-transgender campaign.”
Rep. John Kavanagh, the bill author, pushed SB1045 after his failure to pass SB1432 last week. SB1432, known as the “papers please” bathroom bill, would have criminalized people for using a restroom that does not match their birth certificate. Both SB1432 and SB1045 were developed in response to Phoenix’s LGBT anti-discrimination ordinance enacted in February of this year.
Keisling added, “SB1045 is an unnecessary bill, disconnected from the reality facing transgender Arizonans. Over half of transgender Arizonans have faced harassment or discrimination in places of public accommodations. And stripping local governments the ability to end this violence against us is a dangerous abuse of the capitol’s authority.”
The National Center for Transgender Equality applauds the advocacy of advocates in Arizona who fought off SB1432. And NCTE will continue to work with advocates across the state as SB1045 moves forward.
National Center for Transgender Equality's Blog 
This is just flat out WRONG. Also when was the last time you or any one you know was carrying around their “Birth Certificate” with them.
My brother is transgender and this bill upsets me greatly. What are they going to do next. It’s a sickening bill and wrong wrong wrong!
Here’s what I don’t understand and I hope I can say it right. Gay men and women legally have access to public bathrooms anywhere in the US but they don’t wear a sign saying they are gay. So if people are worried a man will go into a women’s bathroom because of say they might be attacked sexually why aren’t people worried that a lesbian entering a women’s bathroom isn’t going to attack a woman since she is attracted to women? The same thing in my mind applies to gay men entering the men’s room. Also, what about men that are pediophiles entering the men’s bathroom? No one knows if a man entering a men’s bathroom is a pediophile or not. So I don’t get it. Also, there are way more “straight” men that engage in pediophelia than transgender people. Also, what about the biologically female weight lifters. Some of them have bodies that resemble a man. Are they going to stop them and ask them to see their birth certificate?
And I thought Wisconsin was screwed up by it’s governor…apparently we haven’t gone to hell, rather it’s moving to Airzona…this is just another lash from the whip of discrimination. When will we stop doing this to each other?
Thanks for the article. This is horrible – I’m that much more anxious about my trip to Arizona next month.
One question – can anybody explain the graphic? I’d love to spread the word about this on fb, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what the graphic is saying. It looks like it is saying that men in dresses aren’t welcome, but that would be too hurtfully narrow of a view of transgender people to come from NCTE. Thanks!!
I’m a Transgender woman and I don’t look anything like a man in a dress. I have lived full time as my true self for four years now. I can’t use the Men’s restrooms because men that are already in the restroom would get this look on their face and tell me I’m in the wrong room or women has seen me going in the men’s would warn me I’m going in the wrong one, I took as my sign, I can’t use the men’s room anymore. Nice problem to have some would say but If I were to be forced to use the Men’s restroom it could be very dangerous for me. I haven’t used a Men’s restroom in almost two years and I won’t!! I hope something can be done so that this won’t be a problem for other Trans Women or Trans Men.
I’m a transguy living in AZ. Regarding the NCTE graphic above, can someone explain why the strike through circle is only on the female, thus invisiblizing the AZ transmasculine community??
[…] Arizona lawmaker John Kavanagh’s attempt to criminalize transgender people for using public restrooms to the radical National Organization for […]