Bills targeting transgender bathroom access floundering

Bills to curtail transgender people’s access to public restrooms are pending in about a dozen states, but even in conservative bastions such as Texas and Arkansas they may be doomed by high-powered opposition.

The bills have taken on a new significance this week following the decision by President Donald Trump’s administration to revoke an Obamaera federal directive instructing public schools to let transgender students use bathrooms and locker rooms of their chosen gender. Many conservative leaders hailed the assertions by top Trump appointees that the issue was best handled at the state and local level.

Yet at the state level, bills to limit transgender bathroom access are floundering despite nearly all surfacing in Republican-controlled legislatures. In none of the states with pending bills does passage seem assured. There is vigorous opposition from business groups and a notable lack of support from several GOP governors.