Will Washington state Senate vote on 'genital check' bill?

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray shakes hands during the 40th annual Seattle Pride Parade Sunday, June 29, 2014, in Seattle. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray shakes hands during the 40th annual Seattle Pride Parade Sunday, June 29, 2014, in Seattle. Photo: JORDAN STEAD, SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: JORDAN STEAD, SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Will Washington state Senate vote on 'genital check' bill? 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A Washington state Senate committee on Wednesday night passed, on a 4-3 vote, legislation that prohibits use of anti-discrimination laws to protect transgender people against discrimination in sex-segregated bathrooms.

The so-called "genital check" bill goes to the Senate Rules Committee, which sets the schedule for floor action.

The vote for SB 6548 in the Senate Law & Justice Committee follows Senate Commerce & Labor Committee passage of a bill, SB 6443, that would repeal gender identity non-discrimination regulations put in place by the state Human Rights Commission.

"We urge all fair-minded people across the state to demand their lawmakers immediately stop these offensive assaults on fairness and equality, and we call on the Senate to vote down these dangerous measures if they come to a vote on the floor," said Sarah Warbelow, legal director of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's most influential LGBT civil-rights lobby.

Republicans control the state Senate and can send SB6548 to the floor.

Some on the GOP right see transgender teenagers' use of toilets of choice as an issue in this year's battle to see who runs the Legislature.

"It looks like the new 'let men in women's bathroom' rule DOES apply to schools. Nice job Dems. Repeal this rule now or we will see you in November," state Rep. Matt Manweller, R-Ellensburg, tweeted last month.

Seattle passed a new all-gender restroom ordinance last year that is designed to protect the city's transgender citizens.

It allows use of single occupant restrooms by any person, regardless of sex or gender identity and prevents those restrooms from being restricted to a specific sex or gender identity.

The state's largest city sees a large transgender rights parade each year as part of its Pride Week.

SB 6548 is sponsored by conservative State Sens. Judy Warnick, Mike Padden, Pam Roach and Don Benton. Roach represents a portion of rural southeast King County. Transgender advocates toilet papered Roach's office on Wednesday.

Roach chairs the Senate Rules Committee.

SB 6548 is pretty explicit, and imposes a genitalia requirement on use of restrooms. It amends the state's anti-discrimination statute to say:

"Nothing in this chapter grants any right to a person to access a private facility segregated by gender, such as a bathroom, restroom, toilet, shower, locker room or sauna, of a public or private entity if the person is preoperative, nonoperative, or otherwise has genitalia of a different gender from that for which the facility is segregated."

"This kind of legislation is a deliberate attempt to limit transgender people like me from living our lives fully -- at home, school, work -- and to compromise our safety," said Seth Kirby, Oasis Youth Center executive director, speaking for the Washington Safety & Access for Everyone Alliance.

It would seem, however, the Republican right is going to the mat -- or at least the bathroom -- for what it sees as a wedge issue. As Manweller put it in another tweet:

"Republicans: fighting to lower your kids' tuition. Democrats: fighting to let men shower with your daughter. Wonder why they lose elections?"