Tennessee Bathroom Harassment Act - Making Transgender Lives Hell

The sole purpose of this crazy bill is to make transgender people's lives hell.  If you doubt that take a look at what the bills sponsor recently said about a non-existent "threat" he fears from transgender people.  Here are State Rep. Richard Floyd's (R) kind words:

I believe if I was standing at a dressing room and my wife or one of my daughters was in the dressing room and a man tried to go in there — I don’t care if he thinks he’s a woman and tries on clothes with them in there — I’d just try to stomp a mudhole in him and then stomp him dry.


Don’t ask me to adjust to their perverted way of thinking and put my family at risk. We cannot continue to let these people dominate how society acts and reacts. Now if somebody thinks he’s a woman and he’s a man and wants to try on women’s clothes, let him take them into the men’s bathroom or dressing room.

This guy need some serious education about transgender people and specifically about his irrational fears.  I know a lot of transmen and transwomen and the idea of going into a bathroom to try on clothes when the bathroom is of the opposite gender you present is crazy.  But it's the kind of stuff I guess I should expect from a guy who has learned everything he knows about transgender people from dirty jokes.

Already Sen. Bo Watson (R) has withdrawn his version of the bill.  Watson saw the light and realized that there were far more pressing issues for a legislator to concern himself with than harassing transgender folk.  I also suspect the media attention on Mr. Watson came into play.  He looked like a stupid hillbilly introducing such a zany bill and he already has an image problem with his ubiquitous bow ties.

Let's hope Representative Floyd gets a similar message and reconsiders his hateful words and bill.