Washington state opens all women's bathrooms to men

[Paladin]

This new policy from the unelected Washington State Human Rights Commission goes beyond just allowing men to use women's rest rooms. Some other provisions:

"1. Mandate on Schools as Well as Businesses

While the draft rule imposed a mandate on every business in the state, it provided discretion for schools to deal with each case on a case-by-case basis.

However, the final rule removed any discretion for school officials and mandates that all schools must allow boys into the girl’s locker room if they claim to be a girl.

2.Women will be removed from the women’s restroom. Naked men will not.

The rule states that it is illegal to ask someone who is confused about their gender to use a separate facility for the benefit of women and children who might be uncomfortable.

However, once a man begins to undress in the women’s locker room a person who “expresses concern or discomfort…should be directed to a separate or gender-neutral facility.”

So, all you women who are uncomfortable with the naked guy over there, “Please come with me and leave him alone.”

3.The rule bans lots of speech

In addition to prohibiting reasonable accommodations that recognize the public’s right to privacy along with the bathroom needs of the transgendered, this rule targets a wide range of speech.

It is illegal to ask “unwelcome personal questions about an individual’s sexual orientation, gender expression or gender identity, or transgender status.”

The commission provides no guidance to the public about how they are supposed to know which questions are unwelcome before they ask them.

It is also illegal for a business to deliberately “misuse” someone’s preferred pronoun. If a man believes he is a woman, but you refer to him as a “he” anyway, he can sue you.

However, you should be careful not to ask questions about which pronoun he prefers. Remember, if that’s an “unwelcome question” he can sue you for that.

It is also now illegal to use “offensive names, slurs, jokes, or terminology regarding an individual’s sexual orientation or gender expression or gender identity.”

The fact that “offensive” is an undefined and completely subjective term that provides no guidance to the public about what they can and cannot do is apparently lost on the commission.

The best advice may be to just stop speaking. As we all know, someone is offended by everything."

http://www.fpiw.org/blog/2016/01/06/bathroom-rule-its-worse-than-we-thought/

[flowers]

I have to go to that state every so often. 

[Paladin]

WA's Democrat governor Jay Inslee has done everything he can to avoid responding to this issue. Under pressure he has finally issued a statement. It is an almost perfect example of politicaleese which purports to address a pressing matter but actually says nothing.

"Thank you for contacting the Governor in regards to the Washington State Human Rights Commission (WSHRC)’s recent publication of new administrative rules for sexual orientation and gender identity in Washington State’s Law Against Discrimination (WLAD), Chapter 49.60 Revised Code of Washington (RCW 49.60). We appreciate hearing from you.

 Under existing RCW, it is illegal to treat members of a protected class differently than non-protected class members. In 2006, the Washington State Legislature added sexual orientation to the list of protected classes covered by RCW 49.60 and defined sexual orientation to include “heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, and gender expression or identity.”

The WSHRC is tasked with interpreting and enforcing RCW 49.60, which is why, beginning in 2012, they conducted multiple work groups to begin the rulemaking process for the recent rule change. The new rules state that places of public accommodation that are covered by the law shall allow individuals the use of gender segregated facilities that are consistent with the individuals’ gender identity. Organizations are encouraged, but not required, to provide single-use gender-neutral bathrooms or changing areas available to all individuals.

 The rulemaking process undertaken by the WSHRC was thorough and necessary to bring its rules in compliance with the state’s current law against discrimination. The Commission heard from the public and affected groups through a transparent rulemaking process and in public hearings.

Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts and concerns. The Governor truly appreciates your input.

Sincerely,

 

Constituent Services

Office of Governor Jay Inslee"

What a weasel.

[240B]

" Under existing RCW, it is illegal to treat members of a protected class differently than non-protected class members."

----------------------------------------------

This has to be one of the most stupid things I have ever heard a politician say, ever.

It is a perfect example of what an oxymoron is. It is the definition of an oxymoron.

If they are not "treated differently" then how can they be a "protected class"?

Liberals have to be the absolute most ignorant people on Earth. And yet, they think of themselves as the 'enlightened ones', and think of everyone else as stupid and primitive. Which of course, is just another symptom of how ignorant they are.

[Free Vulcan]

In the liberals mind, there is only the 14th amendment when it comes to gender and orientation issues. The rest of the Constitution disappears. How it could hold up in court is beyond me.

The first time a woman gets raped, let the lawsuits fly.