Transgender student restroom legislation proposed in Va.
WASHINGTON - FOX 5 previously reported on a lawsuit filed against the Fairfax County School Board after the decision was made to include "gender identity" as a protected group to its non-discrimination policy.
The policy change introduced in Fairfax County Public Schools would allow those who have not yet legally transitioned to the opposite sex to use the bathroom of the gender with which they identify, among other things.
Now, there is legislation that would stop this practice across the state of Virginia.
Kayden Ortiz is a high school senior in the Fairfax County school district. He was born as a girl named Satya. He said he has known for years that he wanted to be a boy.
Today, he is legally a male. He has undergone a double mastectomy and has taken testosterone since last October. But even though he is legally considered a male and permitted to use a male restroom, he is still anatomically female.
A bill introduced by Virginia State Del. Mark Cole (R-Spotsylvania) would no longer allow Ortiz to use the men's restroom because of his female anatomy.
"It makes me feel very angry because we have worked so hard to get there," Ortiz said. "It's not a very large problem. It's just a bathroom. It's not that complicated."
Del. Cole explained by email that there is a lot of misinformation about the legislation and that it was requested by a group of concerned parents in his district. His email said in part:
"This is about protecting privacy. When one goes into a facility that is designated for a specific gender, there is an expectation of privacy; that women will not have to expose themselves to a man nor be exposed to a man, and vice versa."