Transgender students at California K-12 public schools now can choose which gender's restrooms and locker rooms they want to use, Baptist Press reports. The measure, signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Aug. 12, gives transgender students the right "to participate in sex-segregated programs, activities and facilities" based on their perception of their gender and regardless of biology, as described by the Associated Press. The American Civil Liberties Union of California and the National Center for Lesbian Rights were among the bill's supporters, and while Brown signed the bill without comment, Assembly Speaker John Perez, D.-Los Angeles, said the new law "puts California at the forefront of leadership on transgender rights." Proponents of the bill say it will help transgendered students avoid discrimination and bullying while opponents have argued it is damaging to children. "Jerry Brown and the Democrats have targeted every kid in public school with gender-bending brainwashing," said Randy Thomasson, president of the conservative family issues organization SaveCalifornia.com. The law comes on the heels of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education into California's Acadia Unified School District for allegedly not accommodating a transgender student.
