Calif. lawmakers pass K-12 transgender-rights bill

AP

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers are sending Gov. Jerry Brown a bill that would require public K-12 schools to let transgender students choose which restrooms they use and which school teams they join based on their gender identity instead of their chromosomes.

Some school districts around the country have implemented similar policies, but the bill's author says AB1266 would mark the first time a state has mandated such treatment.

The bill would give youths the right "to participate in sex-segregated programs, activities and facilities" based on their self-perception, regardless of their birth gender.

It sparked an impassioned debate on the Senate floor Wednesday about when transgender students' right to expression might conflict with other students' discomfort and right to privacy.

Opponents say the state is going too far.