Transgender bathroom

Ohio Rep. John Becker, a Clermont County Republican, wants to introduce a "bathroom bill" that would prevent sexual predators from entering women's restrooms under the guise of being transgender.

(Toby Talbot, Associated Press)

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio could soon have its own transgender bathroom bill, but potential sponsor Rep. John Becker said it won't be anything like a recent North Carolina law.

That law requires people to use the public bathroom that corresponds with the gender on their birth certificate, which has ignited a national debate over the rights of transgender people.The law has created a storm of criticism from companies, local governments and celebrities across the country.

Becker, a Clermont County Republican, says he wants to protect people, especially women and children, from sexual predators entering restrooms under policies that allow people to use the bathroom corresponding to their gender identity. And he wants to extend the law to private spaces, so companies could not open bathrooms and locker rooms at the expense of public safety, which he said Target has done.

Becker wants the help of transgender Ohioans in crafting his bill and encourages people to contact his office at rep65@ohiohouse.gov or 614-466-8134.

"The entire objective of the bill is public safety," Becker said. "The idea is to prevent sexual predators from posing as transgender. I want the community to help me solve that problem."

Transgender advocates say there is no problem to be solved and such laws discriminate against people who could be harmed by entering the bathroom corresponding to the sex on their birth certificate.

Grant Stancliff, spokesman for Equality Ohio, said he understands the fear of wanting to protect women and families but more government in our bathrooms isn't the solution.

"The perpetrators of sexual violence are usually a person a woman or child knows," said Stancliff, who previously worked for sexual assault and domestic violence prevention organizations. "This legislation targets one group of people and whenever a law does that you have to ask why are we singling out folks when we don't have a reason to."

Becker disagrees and has been collecting anecdotes showing problems, sometimes posting them on his Facebook page. He cites a story about a Seattle man who walked into a women's locker room at a pool and took off his shirt. When asked to leave, the man cited a new state rule that allows people to choose a bathroom based on gender identity.

If Becker does introduce a bill, it's unlikely to pass, even with both Statehouse chambers controlled by Republicans. Gov. John Kasich, also a GOP presidential candidate, has said he would not have signed the North Carolina bill into law.

"In our state, we're not facing this, so everybody needs to take a deep breath, respect one another, and the minute we start trying to write laws, things become more polarized, things -- they become more complicated," Kasich said in an interview on Sunday's CBS's Face the Nation program.

Senate President Keith Faber echoed Kasich's comments on Wednesday. Faber said he is concerned about somebody who shouldn't be in a bathroom with his 9-year-old daughter being there, but "that applies to a predator of any sex or orientation."

"So certainly it's something if we have somebody bring up and address we'll address as appropriate, but let's make sure we're not addressing a problem before it becomes a problem," Faber said.

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