FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Katie Hobbs, Arizona Democrat Lawmakers Support
Girls Being Forced to Shower with Boys in Public Schools
PHOENIX, ARIZONA— Arizona Democrats continue their war against women and girls as Governor Katie Hobbs' latest veto today blocks Republican efforts to protect biological females from being forced to share showers with biological males posing as females in our public schools.
Every single Democrat lawmaker in both the Senate and House voted 'no' on SB 1182, sponsored by Senator John Kavanagh, which would have required public schools to provide reasonable accommodations to any individuals unwilling or unable to use a multioccupancy shower room designated for their biological sex. Reasonable accommodations could include a private shower space for transgender kids, or a designated time for those individuals to use their preferred shower, among other options. This bill would not have taken away anyone's rights, rather, it would have kept all children in our public schools safe from sexual harassment or sexual violence and protected their natural desire for privacy from the opposite sex while showering after physical education class, sports practice, or other athletic programs offered at our schools. The bill would have also protected students and their families, in the event reasonable accommodations are not provided, by providing private cause of action to those individuals.
"Girls should not be forced to shower with boys in our taxpayer-funded public schools. It's utterly disgusting that Democrats, who are out-of-touch with reality, continue to push gender neutrality upon our children, endangering their safety and well-being just to politically platform off a small population they pretend to care about," said Senator Kavanagh. "All students, not just transgender kids, deserve to feel safe and deserve to have privacy when they're naked in a shower. This was a reasonable bill that a majority of Arizonans agree with. Unfortunately, because of this partisan driven veto by our Governor, our daughters, granddaughters, nieces, and neighbors will continue to be subjected to not only embarrassment, but sexual assaults and harassment in the event a boy who's claiming to be a girl is allowed into their female-only showers. I encourage Arizona parents, women, and girls to reach out to the Governor and our Democrat state lawmakers and demand they respect their privacy rights. Change will only happen if we continue to speak out and push back against these injustices our women and girls continue to endure at the hands of Arizona Democrats."
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For more information, contact:
Kim Quintero
Director of Communications | Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus