The Florida House could be poised to take up a bill that seeks to prevent transgender men and women from using bathrooms that don鈥檛 line up with their sex assigned at birth, after one Republican said it鈥檚 鈥渓ike we have mutants living among us on planet Earth.鈥�
鈥淲e have people that live among us today on planet Earth that are happy to display themselves as if they were mutants from another planet,鈥� Rep. Webster Barnaby, R-Deltona, said before the House Commerce Committee approved the bill. 鈥淭his is the planet Earth where God created men male and women female. I鈥檓 a proud Christian conservative Republican. I鈥檓 not on the fence, not on the fence.鈥�
Barnaby鈥檚 comments came after transgender people testified against the bill. He called them 鈥渄emons and imps who come and parade before us and pretend that you are part of this world. So, I鈥檓 saying my righteous indignation is stirred. I am sick and tired of this. I鈥檓 not going to put up with it. You can test me and try to take me on. But I promise you I鈥檒l win every time.鈥�
Rep. Kristen Arrington, D-Kissimmee, followed Barnaby and was clearly taken aback by his comments. She addressed the transgender people who spoke, pointing to their 鈥渂ravery.鈥�
鈥淎lso to tell that I see you, hear you, understand and love you,鈥� Arrington said. 鈥淒efinitely, I鈥檓 still a little bit thrown off from the last comments here and just really want to let you all know that there are many here that understand and support you.鈥�
Rep. Chase Tramont, a Port Orange Republican who supported the bill, appeared to try to distance himself from Barnaby鈥檚 comments.
鈥淚鈥檓 also a Christian man, and I just want to say to some of the folks in here who shared their testimony, I appreciated you coming up. You鈥檙e not an evil being. I believe that you鈥檙e fearfully and wonderfully made,鈥� Tramont said. 鈥淎nd I want you to live your life as well. There鈥檚 no easy way to go about addressing legislation. There鈥檚 no easy way to make everybody happy on all sides. There just isn鈥檛.鈥�
Committee Chairman Bob Rommel, R-Naples, followed by also thanking the people who spoke.
鈥淚 know it鈥檚 one of those sensitive issues, and sometimes we have to make a difficult decision,鈥� he said.
Later, Barnaby apologized for describing transgender people as 鈥渄emons.鈥�
The bill (HB 1521) is one of a series of proposals that Republicans are moving through the Legislature that focus on transgender people. The Senate last week passed a bill that would prevent doctors from providing treatment such as hormone therapy and puberty blockers to transgender minors. The Senate could pass a bill Tuesday that seeks to prevent children from going to drag shows.
The House bill would require that a wide range of businesses, health-care facilities and educational institutions have a 鈥渞estroom designated for exclusive use by females and a restroom designated for exclusive use by males.鈥� It also would allow unisex restrooms.
The bill would define female as 鈥渁 person belonging, at birth to the biological sex which has the specific reproductive role of producing eggs.鈥� It would define male as 鈥渁 person belonging, at birth to the biological sex which has the specific reproductive role of producing sperm.鈥�
Supporters of the bill said it would help protect women and girls in restrooms. Sponsor Rachel Plakon, R-Lake Mary, described the bill as 鈥渃ommon sense.鈥�
鈥淭his bill is about common decency standards in private spaces,鈥� Plakon told committee members. 鈥淎nd I encourage you all to vote up on this important bill today to ensure safety for all, especially women and girls.鈥�
But opponents said the bill, which could lead to misdemeanor charges for people who violate it, would be impossible to enforce. Also, they said it would lead to discrimination and harassment against transgender people.
鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing that stops this bill from being used as a tool of harassment,鈥� Jon Harris Maurer, public policy director for the LGBTQ-advocacy group Equality Florida, said. 鈥淭here are no standards for reasonableness here. It is an unworkable invasion of privacy that will not make people more safe.鈥�
With Monday鈥檚 approval by the Commerce Committee, the bill is ready to go to the full House. The Senate version (SB 1674) needs approval from the Fiscal Policy Committee before it could go to the full Senate.
