Transgender student rights bill OK'd in California_美文

Transgender student rights bill OK'd in California

California, the most populous US state, has been at the forefront of a nationwide debate on gay, lesbian and transgender rights.

In June, the US Supreme Court declined to reinstate the state's so-called Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage, allowing such unions to resume five years after a referendum initiative banned them.

The National Center for Lesbian Rights and the American Civil Liberties Union of California were among the bill's supporters. Detractors, including some Republican lawmakers, said allowing students of one gender to use facilities intended for the other could invade the other students' privacy.

Such fears are overblown, said Carlos Alcala, spokesman for Ammiano, of San Francisco. Alcala said that in general, transgender students are trying to blend in and are not trying to draw attention to themselves.

"They're not interested in going into bathrooms and flaunting their physiology," Alcala said.

He also said the state's largest school district, Los Angeles Unified, has had such a policy for nearly a decade and reported no problems. San Francisco schools have also had a policy similar to the new law, and numerous other districts signed on in support of the legislation.

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.