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Proposed Indiana Law Could Throw Trans People in Jail
Proposed Indiana Law Could Throw Trans People in Jail
GOP state senator Jim Tomes is pushing a bill that would lob prison time at transgender men and women who use the restroom of their choice.
An Indiana lawmaker is out to damage his state's already battered reputation by proposing bill that would make it illegal for transgender people to use restrooms corresponding with their gender identity.
The politician, Republican Jim Tomes, is outspoken on the perceived need for such a bill.
"We've walked through a doorway we'll never go back through. And we're going to have to address some concerns that are now facing us," Tomes said on Christmas Eve, according to the Associated Press. "If you were born a man, then you are obliged to use the males' restroom."
The legislation would include punishments of a year in prison and up to $5,000 in fines for those using bathrooms that don't match their gender at birth.
Indiana was already caught in a national debate regarding LGBT rights this year, when governor Mike Pence signed into law the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, viewed by many as a license to discriminate. After an enormous outcry, Pence signed a "fix" to the bill, which ostensibly made it more difficult for homophobic business owners to refuse service to LGBT patrons.
