Florida passes transgender bathroom bill

The Florida legislature passed a bill Wednesday making it a crime for transgender people to use public restrooms that align with their gender identity.

Under the bill, known as the “Safety in Private Spaces Act,” individuals who use public restrooms or changing facilities that do not correspond with their sex assigned at birth could be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor.

The legislation next heads to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) desk, where it is widely expected to receive the governor’s signature. 

State Sen. Erin Grall (R-Fort Pierce), who carried the Senate bill, argued Wednesday that “there’s not anything in the language of this bill that is targeting any specific group,” according to Politico.

“Rather, it speaks to the differences that we have as different sexes, as male and female,” Grall added.

The Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ civil rights organization, condemned the move as a “pernicious, degrading, and systematic attempt to dehumanize one of our most marginalized communities.”

“Florida legislators should focus on real issues impacting Floridians instead of where transgender people go to the bathroom,” Sarah Warbelow, the group’s legal director, said in a statement.