By Izumi Hansen WNPA Olympia Bureau The state Senate last week rejected 25-24 a bill that would repeal a rule affirming that people can use restrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. The Washington Human Rights Commission created the rule, which went into effect last December, as a clarification of a 2006 law that prohibits discrimination based on gender identity. Proponents of Senate Bill 6443, speaking during debate of the measure Feb. 10, said it protected people from predators, who could use the rule to disguise themselves as members of the opposite gender. Sen. Jim Hargrove, a Democrat from Hoquiam, said, "I do not know of a transgender person that is a sex offender. What I am concerned about is that there will be a lot of sex offenders that will all of a sudden become transgender because it gives them an opportunity to get into our locker rooms.GÇ¥ But opponents of the bill said it played into fear and would repeal civil rights for transgender people, and that there were no reported incidents of predators entering bathrooms by claiming they are of another gender. "I'm happy to report that we have a good handful of criminal statutes that are available to make sure they are not able to harass or ogle or do anything else inappropriate,GÇ¥ said Sen. Jamie Pedersen, a Democrat from Seattle. Sen. Randi Becker, a Republican from south Pierce County and a co-sponsor of the bill, was among the 24-vote minority who favored passing it. The defeat of the Senate proposal appears to doom similar legislation in the House of Representatives. As of Feb. 11, no action had been taken on HB 2589 since it was introduced in January by another south Pierce County lawmaker, then-representative Graham Hunt. He resigned this month because of unrelated issues involving his military record. HB 2589 made the same challenge to the state rule as its Senate counterpart. Its supporters include Rep. J.T. Wilcox, who like Becker and Hunt are from the Second District.
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