UPDATE: House Bill 1522 was signed into law by Gov. Burgum.
House Bill 1522 would ban transgender students from using the restrooms that match their gender identity, force teachers and schools to “out” a trans student to their parents, and prohibit schools and government entities from adopting policies that acknowledge the gender identity of their students or employees. No matter how these lawmakers try to spin it, this bill isn’t really motivated by privacy or safety concerns or even the rights of parents. It’s motivated by ignorance, misinformation, and a fear of transgender North Dakotans.
The ACLU of North Dakota opposes House Bill 1522. It doesn’t infringe on anyone else’s rights to share spaces with those who are different. Like previous efforts to expel people of color, people with disabilities, and others from communal spaces, these arguments for privacy and safety just mask a fear of difference.
