An Arizona bill which sought to undo a
transgender protections ordinance in Phoenix has been shelved by its
sponsor.
Republican Representative John
Kavanagh's original bill introduced in March sought to make it a
misdemeanor for a person to use a public bathroom, shower, or locker
room associated with a gender other than what it states on his or her
birth certificate.
Kavanagh said the measure was needed to
counter an ordinance approved the month before by the City of Phoenix
which prohibits discrimination in public accommodations based on
gender identity.
“The City of Phoenix has crafted a
bill that allows people to define their sex by what they think in
their head,” Kavanagh told NBC12. “And if you're a male, you
don't go into a female shower or locker room, and vice versa.”
After a loud outcry from activists,
Kavanagh altered the bill to protect businesses from civil or
criminal liability if they create such a ban.
According to the AP, Kavanagh said that
he was tabling the measure for this session after some members in his
caucus had expressed concern about some of his proposed definitions.