Oxford Officials: Transgender Bathroom Law is About Public Safety
Oxford city leaders say public safety is what sparked the recent passage of an ordinance that forces transgender people to use public restrooms corresponding with their biological sex. But transgender advocates say the eastern Alabama city’s law is unjustifiable.
The Oxford City Council unanimously approved what is being called the most sweeping anti-transgender law in the country, punishable by a $500 fine or six months in prison.
“Really what we’re looking at here is a nonsensical ordinance to the fear mongering that we’re seeing across the United States, says,” Eva Walton Kendrick of the Human Rights Campaign in Birmingham.
But council president, Steven Waits, says the law is about public safety. He argues that allowing people to use a bathroom that doesn’t match their biological sex endangers citizens, particularly women and children.
“There have been those who have become so politically immersed in political correctness that they become blind to the unsafe conditions their policies may create,” Waits says.
He adds that the council is not concerned about how this law will affect transgender residents and visitors in Oxford since they make up only a fraction of the population.
The ordinance now goes to Oxford Mayor, Leon Smith, for approval. However, city officials say they’re unsure when this is will take place.
More than 100,000 pounds of ground beef are recalled for possibly having E. coli
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture alerted federal authorities about several illnesses in the past week.
President-elect set to shape ‘Trump judiciary’ for next generation
Legal experts predict President-elect Donald Trump will move quickly next year to cement and extend his legacy in appointing federal judges.
Mama Stamberg’s relish faces its toughest critics: NPR staffers
Susan Stamberg returns with her annual love letter to the pink pile of Thanksgiving mush known as Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish.
In this election, demographics did not determine how people voted
Groups that Democrats believed would always turn out in their favor did not do so this year. Here's how the vote shook out in the seven swing states.
In ‘Wicked: Part I’, Cynthia Erivo defies gravity — and convention — as Elphaba
Cynthia Erivo says being different had "something to do with" her role as Elphaba in 'Wicked: Part 1.'
Tesla won the plug war. Enter the age of the EV charging adapter
The auto industry is embracing Tesla's charging technology in order to share its vast Supercharger network. This is going to be a slow transition — expect to see a lot of adapters.
