Surpassing the total number of vetoes Governor Doug Ducey issued in 8 years, Governor Hobbs vetoed a bill intended to protect the privacy and safety of young girls in public school bathrooms, showers, and locker rooms on Thursday.
Hobbs’ veto came as a surprise because the bill, SB1040, sponsored by Senator John Kavanagh, provided separate designated spaces for transgender students, especially males who identify as females.
Kavanagh says Hobbs displayed “a lack of care or concern for the safety and wellbeing of our Arizona kids,” with the veto.
SB 1040 would have limited access to public school restrooms, locker rooms, showers, and hotel rooms on overnight school trips to members of the same biological sex at birth. However, the bill would have also required schools to provide access to single-occupancy restrooms, changing areas or showers for those students who don’t feel comfortable using facilities that match their biological sex, while also safeguarding female-only and male-only facilities. Additionally, the bill would have granted a private cause of action to individuals who encounter a person of the opposite sex in specified areas at public schools.
“Women and young girls deserve privacy and their own protected bathrooms, showers and locker rooms where they can have such privacy and are safe from the risk of sexual harassment or sexual violence. Unfortunately, Democrat Legislators and Governor Hobbs are catering to an extremist culture by pushing ‘gender neutrality’ as a means to win political points from their liberal base while stealing dignity away from women and girls in the process,” said Kavanagh. “SB 1040 is about protecting our children while respecting the natural privacy rights of students. A 14-year-old female high school coed should not be forced to stand next to a naked, transgender female, who is actually an 18-year-old biological male. In a rush to become ‘trans inclusive,’ Governor Hobbs and fellow Democrats have forgotten about the needs of innocent young girls. This veto shows exactly how little they care to protect our female citizens.”
How many examples of girls being sexually assaulted by boys exploiting the rule to access their victims before Governor Hobbs is willing to protect all Arizona students?
READ MORE HERE:https://t.co/6WMe4OaAC5 pic.twitter.com/TvLLnQqUY0
— Center for AZ Policy (@azpolicy) June 8, 2023
“Governor Hobbs had a perfect opportunity to do what she had promised: to protect children from harm. But the Governor vetoed a bill today that would have protected girls’ privacy and safety on school campus while also accommodating students struggling with their gender,” said Cathi Herrod, president of Center for Arizona Policy.”
“Hobbs’ veto of SB 1040 means girls can be forced to share private spaces like locker rooms and showers with boys. The bill was a win-win for every student because it called for schools to separate restrooms, locker rooms, and showers by sex, while also providing accommodations, like single-stall restrooms, for students who are not comfortable using facilities consistent with their sex,” explained Herrod. “How many examples of girls being sexually assaulted by boys exploiting the rule to access their victims before Governor Hobbs is willing to protect all Arizona students?”
Herrod thanked Kavanagh for sponsoring what she called “an important bill,” and every member who voted in favor of “protecting all Arizona students.”