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A bill that would require schools to label all student bathrooms male or female and would make entering a bathroom that does not match your biological sex a misdemeanor has local students, youth leaders and school officials worried.
“This kind of bill to me feels like we’re stepping back into times where there were colored restrooms and white restrooms. Instead of attacking by skin color, they’re attacking by gender,” said Issac, a junior at the Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship, who did not want his last name used due to bullying concerns.
If Indiana Senate Bill 35, authored by State Sen. Jim Tomes, R-Wadesville, becomes law, Issac could face up to one year of jail time and a $5,000 fine for using a men’s bathroom at school.
Issac identifies himself as a transgender student, and says “transgender” is a term referring to someone who is gender nonconforming or variant who doesn’t necessarily think of themselves as the sex designated on their birth certificate.
Issac is biologically female and uses the male restroom or a gender neutral bathroom in the nurse’s office at school. It’s because the school allows him to use the bathroom of his choice that he feels comfortable at the Academy, a school he transferred to this year.
“Right now, my school is a very awesome environment. I feel super safe,” he said.
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