S.C. Bathroom Bill Unlikely to Get Vote

Chances are dwindling for a vote on a S.C. bill that would limit the bathrooms and locker rooms that transgender men and women could use.

Senate General Committee chairman Kevin Bryant, R-Anderson, said the bill’s main sponsor, Sen. Lee Bright, R-Spartanburg, did not ask to have his proposal discussed at a committee meeting Wednesday. The meeting would be the first chance to discuss the bill after two days of emotional testimony last week.

Bright said he is trying to win support from a majority of the 17-member General Committee to send his proposal straight to the Senate floor. He said he has backing from four senators on the committee.

Bryant, a co-sponsor of the bill, said Monday getting the proposal through the Senate before the May 1 “crossover” deadline to get legislation to the House would be difficult.

State Sen. Marlon Kimpson, a Charleston Democrat who sits on the General Committee, said he plans on placing a minority report on the bill, which would halt it without a unanimous vote of the Senate.

Bright said he hopes a S.C. House member introduces a similar bathroom bill, increasing its possibility of passage this year.

Bill backers say they want to protect women from men entering women’s restrooms and locker rooms.

The transgender community and its supporters say Bright’s proposal is discriminatory and could hurt South Carolina economically.

Businesses and musicians are boycotting North Carolina after that state passed a similar bill last month. In Tennessee, a transgender bathroom proposal failed Monday amid criticism.

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