title:  Virginia Republicans Want To Verify Kids’ Genitals Before They Use School Bathrooms
text: Conservative Christian lawmakers in Virginia have gotten extremely pervy and filed a transphobic bill this week that would force schools to verify a child s genitals to ensure that they re using the restroom that agrees with their  correct anatomical sex. Sponsored by Republican Del. Mark Cole, House Bill 663 (otherwise known as  Use of restroom facilities; penalty)  would prevent transgender students from using the bathroom that matches their gender, defining  anatomical sex  as the physical condition of being male or female, which is determined by a person s anatomy.  The bill states: Local school boards shall develop and implement policies that require every school restroom, locker room, or shower room that is designated for use by a specific gender to solely be used by individuals whose anatomical sex matches such gender designation. Under the legislation, schools would be given the discretion and flexibility of letting students use a  single stall restroom  or  controlled  access to an empty restroom. The penalty for students who use the wrong restroom could be a fine of $50.Since the bill s filing, many have raised questions about how exactly the Republicans intend to verify a child s anatomically corresponding restroom. After the bill was proposed, civil rights advocate Tim Peacock criticized the bill, stating that  adults would be required to inspect children s genitals before they use the bathroom  for the law to be enforced. Peacock warned that the bill violated children s privacy, and was completely inappropriate and unnecessary: This is what the conservative movement has devolved into: forcing children to allow adults to examine their genitals out of misplaced fear that transgender kids and adults might commit a hypothetical never-before-seen act of violence or sexual aggression (that would still be against the law with or without transgender protections). This is just the latest   and certainly not the last   assault on transgender people by the religious right. In the past, Republican Colorado lawmaker Gordon Klingenschmitt tried (many times) to prevent transgender people from having access to public restrooms. Even Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee has disrespected the trans community and made a disgustingly insensitive joke by saying he wished he d been able to say he was transgender in high school so he would have been able to shower  with the girls. Transgender people are becoming a target for the God-fearing Republican party more and more often, and protections must be put in place to control these outbursts of bigotry.Featured image via Mark Cole Facebook page