Statement from Center for Arizona Policy President, Cathi Herrod

PHOENIX – “The government has a duty to protect the privacy, safety, and dignity of all students. We will not put a price tag on the privacy and safety of schoolgirls. That is exactly what the Obama administration is doing by threatening to withhold federal funding if we do not conform to an extreme political agenda that opens all public school girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms to male students.

Contrary to what President Obama would like, Americans do not elect a king every four years. Yet that is what the current president is trying to assert with today’s edict that seeks to go back in time and unilaterally amend a 44 year-old law to say that the word “sex” actually means “gender identity.” No one, certainly not the lawmakers who wrote the law, was talking about gender identity 44 years ago.

Think about the many girls who are victims of sexual assault or come from unsafe backgrounds – are we going to disregard their fears, putting them in a position to be re-traumatized? A society that rails against campus rape, teaches “no means no,” and fights a “war on women” – shouldn’t be putting those women in vulnerable situations.

Today’s mandate is completely unnecessary. There are common sense accommodations than can be made instead of reverting to an extreme and dangerous approach.

This is a fight that didn’t need to be fought. The government should not be taking sides when it comes to the safety and welfare of our children. It is incumbent upon our schools to reject the extreme political agenda of an over-reaching federal government and use commonsense measures to protect every single student entrusted to them.

I call on all elected officials and public school administrators to stand against this dictator-like move and tell President Obama that his values do not represent Arizona values. Please join me in reaching out to local school administrators and other public officials to ensure children’s safety remains the priority.”

Center for Arizona Policy promotes and defends the foundational values of life, marriage and family, and religious freedom. For more information, visit azpolicy.org.
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