OLYMPIA — A state rule allowing transgender individuals to use the locker rooms of the sex they identify with could allow others access to sensitive areas simply by claiming to be transgender, according to state Sen. Jim Hargrove.
The rule was adopted in December by the Washington State Human Rights Commission.
Hargrove — along with Democratic state Reps. Steve Tharinger and Kevin Van De Wege of Sequim — represents the 24th District, which covers Clallam and Jefferson counties and part of Grays Harbor County.
“I will bet you a lot of sex offenders will decide that they are going to claim to be transgender now so that they can enter locker rooms,” Hargrove, who lives in Hoquiam, said Friday.
The rule “is broad enough and vague enough that any male can walk into a locker room” if they say they are transgender, he said.
Last Wednesday, Hargrove voted in favor of Senate Bill 6443, which failed on a vote of 24-25. He was the only Democrat to do so.
The bill would have repealed the rule allowing transgender individuals to use the restroom or locker room that best matches their gender identity, according to The Capitol Record.
“That particular bill did not repeal civil rights protections for transgenders,” Hargrove said.
“It simply repealed the Human Rights Commission rule which . . . seems to me like it is going to be extremely difficult to keep men from entering women’s locker rooms.”
Hargrove said he has contacted YMCA directors concerning this issue, “and they just don’t know how they are going to enforce it or deal with it because you can self identity as transgender regardless of what you look like,” he said.
“Any male that walks into a women’s locker room — you just have to assume they are transgender.”
The rule will “create all sorts of problems, particularly in our YMCAs and other places where you have locker rooms with open showers,” Hargrove continued.
“That is why I voted to overturn the rule, hoping that we would get something that would make reasonable accommodations for transgender people. I don’t have problems with bathrooms, for instance. You get separate stalls so it is no big deal.”
However, “in a locker room setting, I don’t think this is going to be very workable,” he said.
“We just don’t know how this is going to play out. Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail and at some point in time we will be able to figure this all out.”
Over in the House, representatives passed a bill last Thursday that would allow women to receive a year’s worth of contraceptives at a time at their pharmacy.
House Bill 2465 requires private health insurers and Medicaid to reimburse women for a 12-month supply of contraceptive drugs, according to The Capitol Record.
The bill passed with a vote of 91-6, and now heads to the Senate for consideration.
Van De Wege voted in favor of the bill.
“I supported that,” he said Saturday. “It is common sense. There was only a handful of people that voted against it.”
Van De Wege said he supports the bill because “I think it is important for women to be able to have a 12-month supply of contraceptives so they don’t have to continually go back to the doctor. They potentially could run out if transportation issues arise or work issues arise — anything like that.”
Van De Wege said a bill that would allow a business in Port Townsend to start an electric bus shuttle service was passed by the House last week and is now headed for the Senate.
HB 2317 would allow such vehicles to drive on portions of state Highway 20, something currently prohibited by state law, Van De Wege has said.
Van De Wege’s bill, also sponsored by Tharinger, includes a provision to allow electric bus shuttles on low-speed state highways, with a top speed of 30 to 45 mph.
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Reporter Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
