Florida Education Officials Approve Harsher Penalties for Violation of Transgender Restroom Law
CNN – In a unanimous decision on Wednesday, Florida education officials approved stricter penalties for state college employees who violate a recently enacted law prohibiting the use of restrooms or changing facilities for a gender other than the one assigned at birth.
Advocates for the LGBTQ community have criticized the law, claiming that it is part of a larger effort to erase transgender individuals from Florida schools and society. The new rules dictate that staff and faculty at Florida colleges can be fired if they use a restroom that does not correspond with their gender assigned at birth. A verbal and written warning as well as suspension without pay can also be given as a penalty for a first offense. In the case of a second offense, colleges will be required to terminate the employment of the violator.
The new rules state that institutions must thoroughly investigate each complaint regarding violations of the law and establish a procedure for such investigations. Documentation of violations must include the name of the violator as well as the person who reported the violation. The circumstances surrounding the event must be included to establish a violation.
The restrictions also extend to college-run student housing. Colleges have the option of providing a single-occupancy, unisex restroom or changing facility.
It is important to note that Florida’s college system operates separately from the state’s university system. The college system consists of 28 public community and state colleges.
The law that prompted the new rules was signed into effect in May by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. In addition to the restroom law, Governor DeSantis also enacted new restrictions on gender-affirming treatments for minors and limited pronoun usage in schools and drag shows.
One of the bills signed by Governor DeSantis prohibits transgender children from receiving gender-affirming treatments such as puberty blockers or sex-reassignment surgeries. The law allows a court to temporarily remove a child from their home if they receive such treatments, treating it as a case of child abuse.
Another provision signed into law restricts teachers, faculty, and students from using pronouns of their choice in public schools. It asserts that a person’s sex is an unchangeable biological trait and mandates the use of pronouns corresponding to the sex on a person’s birth certificate. It also prohibits the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity in K-12 schools.
The underlying law behind the newly approved rules forbids transgender individuals from using restrooms or changing rooms that match their gender identity in government buildings, including public schools and prisons.
Governor DeSantis has defended the legislation, stating that women should not have to worry about individuals from the opposite sex being in their locker rooms.
The law defines female as a person assigned the biological sex responsible for producing eggs at birth, and male as a person assigned the biological sex responsible for producing sperm at birth.