Ryan steers clear of transgender bathroom fight

Speaker Paul Ryan on Thursday declined to take a position on North Carolina’s controversial law forcing transgender people to use public restrooms that correspond to their biological sex.

But the Wisconsin Republican also said there should be a “well-maintained balance” as states address lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues.

“I’m not going to comment on what various different states are doing,” Ryan told reporters at a news conference. “Again, all of our committees that have jurisdiction in this area will look at this issue, but it’s not my place to get involved in what each state is doing.”

{mosads}Despite sidestepping the controversy, Ryan argued that his record on discrimination issues is “pretty clear.” 

He pointed out that he previously voted for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act in the mid-2000s. The law bans discrimination in the workplace based on an employee’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

“This is an issue that also deals with religious conscience and religious freedom, so there has to be a well-maintained balance,” Ryan added. “This is something that members are going to work on their issue, and speak their will, and I’ll leave it at that.”

Ryan’s remarks came on the same day GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump blasted the North Carolina law. The Tar Heel State, he said, is “paying a big price” after popular musicians and other businesses have begun to boycott North Carolina in protest of the law.

“North Carolina did something. It was very strong. And they’re paying a big price. And there’s a lot of problems,” Trump said. 

Presidential candidate Ted Cruz took the opposite stance, saying, “It’s not a reasonable position.