Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall, the co-author of Virginia’s defunct ban on same-sex marriage, this week proposed a heinous anti-LGBT “bathroom bill that Governor Terry McAuliffe has now vowed to veto, GayRVA reports:
HB1612, the Physical Privacy Act, authored by Del. Bob Marshall (R-13, Manassas), states “no individual shall enter a restroom or other facility designated for use by members of the opposite sex” with sex defined as the gender marked on the person’s “original birth certificate.” The bill also creates a “civil cause of action” against the state if a person encounters someone of the opposite sex in the restroom, meaning someone could sue the state if they found someone of the perceived opposite gender in the restroom.
The bill goes further than just bathrooms – it also requires principals of public schools to notify a parent or legal guardian within 24 hours if their student “requests to be recognized or treated as the opposite sex, to use a name or pronoun inconsistent with the child’s sex, or to use a restroom or other facility designated for the opposite sex.”
McAuliffe says don’t even think about it:
“Governor McAuliffe has been clear that he will veto any bill that restricts the rights of Virginians based on sexual orientation or gender identity,” said McAuliffe’s Communications Director Brian Coy. The governor has long touted Virginia as a welcoming, business and LGBTQ friendly environment for people to work and play. “As we saw in North Carolina, these bills don’t just hamper civil rights – they kill jobs. The Governor is hopeful that Republicans in the General Assembly will drop these counterproductive bills and turn their focus toward building a stronger and more equal Virginia economy.”
