NASHVILLE, Tennessee, March 21, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – A bill requiring all students to use the bathrooms and other facilities that match their biological sex has unanimously passed a House subcommittee.
While the bill is opposed by Governor Bill Haslam over concerns related to federal funding, Tennessee legislators defended it as necessary to balance the privacy of all students with compassion for those with gender identity disorder.
Haslam has supported leaving gender identity and related facility decisions up to individual school districts.
The bill is opposed by the ACLU.
Many school boards and other political entities and individuals have expressed concern about the risk to federal funding if students are required to use restrooms, locker rooms, and other facilities that match their gender. However, legal precedent and federal law do not allow the Obama administration or any other federal entities to tie federal funding of any kind to gender identity and facility use, according to attorneys at the Alliance Defending Freedom.
