[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 12, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H1623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                LEGISLATION TARGETING TRANSGENDER PEOPLE

  (Mr. HONDA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the hateful and 
discriminatory legislation targeting transgender people that is 
sweeping through State legislatures.
  Right now, there is anti-transgender legislation pending before 
legislatures in Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, South 
Carolina, Washington, and Tennessee.
  Tomorrow, Tennessee lawmakers will vote in committee on House Bill 
2414, a bill that would require students to go into gender-specific 
bathrooms that match the gender on their birth certificate. Yet, 
Tennessee is one of the few States that does not allow a transgender 
person to change their birth certificate. It is ultimately a lose-lose 
for transgender people.
  This bill would cause very real emotional harm and put transgender 
young people in physical danger if they are required to use gender-
inappropriate restrooms and locker rooms. These anti-transgender bills 
in the States are rooted in fear, animus, and deeply misguided notions 
about who transgender people are.
  I speak today as a Member of Congress and as a proud grandfather of a 
granddaughter who is transgender. These laws do not make us safer. 
These laws stoke misguided fears. They divide us. We must stand up to 
these laws and promote our values.

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