In calling on New Jersey Governor
Christ Christie to veto a transgender rights bill, Mat Staver,
chairman of Liberty Counsel, described the legislation as
“state-sponsored child exploitation.”
Christie, a Republican, signed the bill
on Friday with little fanfare.
(Related: New
Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signs transgender rights bill.)
Under the legislation introduced by
Democrats, schools cannot force transgender students to use
facilities that conflict with their gender identity and faculty and
staff must address transgender students by the name and pronoun they
prefer.
In an email to supporters, Staver
called on the governor to veto the bill, saying that it would harm
students.
“The State of New Jersey has no
business invading the privacy and jeopardizing the safety of students
by forcing them to use restrooms, showers and hotel rooms for
overnight events with someone of the opposite sex,” said Staver.
“Nor does the state have the right to force students and school
personnel to participate in a delusion by requiring them to pretend
that people can change their sex. This policy is harmful to everyone.
S3067/A4652 violates the religious, privacy, safety and First
Amendment rights of students and staff and oversteps parental
authority. It is parents, not school officials, who have the right to
guide their children in making informed choices about what is best
for them. Parents do not want their daughters changing and sleeping
in the presence of biological boys, and vice versa. S3067/A4652 is
state-sponsored child exploitation and Liberty Counsel urges Governor
Christie to veto this bill.”
Staver, a vocal opponent of LGBT
rights, is best known for representing Kim Davis, the Kentucky county
clerk who defied the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 ruling that struck
down state marriage bans.
(Related: Kentucky
ordered to pay for clerk Kim Davis' fight against gay marriage.)