RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A transgender bathroom bill similar to a widely publicized North Carolina measure failed to make it out of committee in the Virginia General Assembly late last week.
Both Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Republican leaders objected to Del. Bob Marshall’s bill, which would generally have prohibited individuals from using a bathroom of the opposite sex in government-owned buildings. Marshall, an outspoken Republican conservative from the Manassas area, accused fellow lawmakers of breaking their campaign promises and oaths of office.
Proponents said the measure was needed to protect children, particularly students who play sports and use locker rooms.
The Gloucester County school board’s order keeping a transgender student out of the boy’s room at his high school is awaiting a U.S. Supreme Court hearing. That case could decide the issue nationwide.