A new bill, SB 219, is being tossed around the California State Senate which would actually punish you for refusing to use “preferred names or pronouns” against those that consider themselves transgender if it takes place in a public health, retirement, or housing area.
The bill’s being proposed by State Senator Scott Wiener which includes many provisions. Among them is a health facility “to honor” those those who consider themselves transgender as a patient. Meaning that these facilities MUST make adjustments for whatever the patient decides to identify as. This also means any bathroom they wish to use, clothing, and so on.
As reported by CBN.com:
Critics of the law fought against it. California Family Council’s Greg Burt testified before the California Assembly Judiciary Committee saying, “How can you believe in free speech, but think the government can compel people to use certain pronouns when talking to others?” He added, “Compelled speech is not free speech. Can the government compel a newspaper to use certain pronouns that aren’t even in the dictionary? Of course not, or is that coming next?”
“Those proposing this bill are saying, ‘If you disagree with me about my view of gender, you are discriminating against me,'” Burt continued. “This is not tolerance. This is not love. This is not mutual respect. True tolerance tolerates people with different views. We need to treat each other with respect, but respect is a two-way street. It is not respectful to threaten people with punishment for having sincerely held beliefs that differ from your own.”
Despite Burt’s objections, the measure, which is sponsored by the group Equality California and authored by San Francisco Senator Scott Wiener, sailed through committee without even one vote against it.
If this bill sounds familiar, perhaps it’s because Canada’s Senate overwhelmingly passed similar legislation last month. The Canadian transgender rights bill adds “gender expression” and “gender identity” to Canada’s Human Rights Code and to the Criminal Code’s hate crime section.