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.
A new Statehouse and related projects will cost about $400 million
The Alabama Legislative Council, a 20-member panel comprised of legislative leaders and their appointees, approved the construction of the new Statehouse last year. The panel was given an update on the project on Wednesday.
New pilot program will offer housing, resources to people leaving prison
The Birmingham Reentry Alliance will provide wrap around services to dozens of men and women adjusting to life after prison.
Alabama committee advances ban on LGBTQ+ pride flags in classrooms
The Senate Education Policy Committee voted 5-2 for the House-passed bill, putting the proposal in line for a possible final passage in the last four days of the legislative session.
A New Orleans garden paid hundreds of dollars in fees for a sewer that doesn’t exist
Galvez Garden owner Lissie Stewart has been fighting the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board over inaccurate billing for years.
Alabama coal mine keeps digging after hundreds of fines and a fatal explosion
Following the death of a grandfather, Crimson Oak Grove Resources has left a community afraid for their homes and lives. An expert warns one resident may need to evacuate her home while she still can.
Florida’s 6-week abortion ban will have a ‘snowball effect’ on residents across the South
Abortion rights advocates say the ban will likely force many to travel farther for abortion care and endure pregnancy and childbirth against their will.
