An Indiana state senator has proposed a bill making it a crime for trans-gendered people to use public bathrooms and locker rooms that do not conform with their genders at birth. The measure by Wadesville Republican Jim Tomes would make it a misdemeanor crime, carrying a punishment of up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine. Tomes says he doesn’t want to single out trans-gendered people but worries the privacy of women and children in bathrooms is at risk as society become more accepting. Advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-gendered rights say Tomes explanation is absurd because the bill specifically singles out trans-gendered people for ridicule.
