A bill to criminalize the use of single-sex public facilities like restrooms and fitting rooms by people of the opposite biological sex passed its first subcommittee Wednesday.
Under the Single-Sex Public Facilities Act, HB583, someone found to be using a single-sex public facility designated for someone of the opposite biological sex could be charged with a misdemeanor and fined up to $1000 or face up to a year in prison. Bill sponsor, Rep. Frank Artilles, R-Miami, has said his proposal closes a loophole in transgender-inclusive human rights ordinances that could allow a voyeur or sexual predator to enter an opposite sex restroom or changing room under the cover of law.
Opponents of the bill say that concern is unfounded. “21 states have done studies that have fully inclusive human rights ordinances along these lines and laws and there has not been one reported incident in reference to this situation in any of those states over the last four years,” said Equality Florida’s Transgender Inclusion Director Gina Duncan.
“It’s not like someone would want to throw on a wig so they could perform some kind of deviant act in a restroom or something along those lines. That is already covered by laws within our state and laws within our cities.”
Baylor Johnson with the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida said the bill would be bad for business owners and customers, regardless of gender identity.
“This bill, if it were to become law, also puts the burden on business owners to monitor customers’ use of restrooms and to essentially become gender police asking intrusive and humiliating questions of customers or be at risk of liability themselves,” said Johnson.
After hearing more than an hour of impassioned testimony from transgender residents opposed to the bill, members of the House Civil Justice Subcommittee voted 9-4 in favor of the bill.
The ACLU of Florida has collected more than 40,000 signatures in an online petition against the proposal. Sen. Charlie Dean, R-Inverness, filed a Senate companion bill earlier this week.
