Wednesday, April 29, 2015

A bill that would have made it illegal for any transgender person to use a restroom that did not match their gender assigned at birth has failed in Florida. 

HB 583, the “Single-Sex Public Facilities” bill, or Florida’s “Bathroom Bill,” introduced by State Representative Frank Artiles, was aimed to punish transgender individuals. Any individual who used a bathroom that did not match their gender assigned at birth faced violations resulting in a first-degree misdemeanor charge, punishable by a $1,000 fine and up to one year in jail. Business owners who allowed transgender individuals to use the bathroom of their choice could also face lawsuits from other patrons.

Federation member and Equality Florida co-founder and CEO Nadine Smith and her organization led the coalition efforts to stop the transphobic and discriminatory bill from passing.

“We joined with other states in rejecting this hostile bill,” said Smith. “The silver lining in Florida has been the transgender community becoming more visible in Tallahassee.”'

We applaud the hard work of Equality Florida and their coalition partners, and congratulate you on a hard-fought success!

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