State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) opposed legislation this afternoon that amends the Equitable Restrooms Act to allow any multiple-occupancy restroom to be identified as an all-gender restroom and designated for use by any person of any gender. This option on public restrooms like schools and libraries and government buildings as well as businesses is also opposed by groups such as Pro-Family Alliance.
“This is a bad idea! The extreme, progressive, ‘woke’ legislators are ignoring the reality that men and women are different and women and girls will be losing one of their “safe places,” declared Rep. Adam Niemerg. “Allowing men into women’s restrooms and boys into girls’ bathrooms will only increase acts of violence against women.”
According to the bill sponsor, if this bill becomes law, these restrooms will have walls around each toilet from the floor to ceiling with locks on the doors that only lock from the inside. This legislation would eliminate urinals in the all-gender multiple-occupancy restrooms.
“If a girl or woman is forced into one of these stalls by someone wanting to assault them, or a bully pushes his student victim into one of these toilet rooms, or someone has a medical emergency and falls to the floor, no one will be able to see under the stall to know to help them,” added Niemerg. “With the mandate that the locks on the doors only controlled from the inside, how would the police or EMTs get inside to help? This is bad public policy and I urge the governor to veto HB 1286 when it reaches his desk.”