SAN JOSE, Calif. — A California state senator has introduced legislation that, if passed, would require all K-12 schools in the state to have at least one gender-neutral restroom — the first bill of its kind in the nation.
“It’s hard enough to be questioning your gender or sexuality at that age. But to not be able to use the bathroom without some combination of anxiety, stigma, shame, bullying? That’s just a terrible place to put kids,” said Sen. Josh Newman, a Fullerton Democrat, who is also chair of the Senate Committee on Education.
Introduction of the bill, SB 760, comes just days after a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found staggering rates of violence and mental health challenges among LGBTQ+ youth. In 2021, nearly one in four LGBTQ+ students were bullied at school, compared to just over one in 10 of their heterosexual counterparts. Rates of sadness among LGBTQ+ students were nearly double that of their straight peers. And almost half of LGBTQ+ students seriously considered suicide, the report found.
